Per Aspera ad Astra
by sherlockers
Summary: Frisk could remember reading the translation in one of the novels in the orphanage, although at the time they were not sure exactly what it meant. After falling into Mt. Ebott, traversing the Underground, and emerging through the newly shattered barrier, Frisk had a new appreciation of "through hardships to the stars." Unfortunately, happily ever afters don't last. Post Pacifist.
1. Prologue

_"Oh my…"_

 _"Isn't it beautiful, everyone?"_

 _The sun was cresting the horizon, a shining oval at the peak of dawn. Smoldering rivers of fire rose and fell along the sides, bathing the Earth in gold as the multi-hued heavens above appeared as if an artist had painted streaks of pink, blue, lavender, and daffodil._

 _"Wow…it's e-even better than on TV. WAY better! Better than I ever imagined!"_

 _Undyne couldn't tear her eyes away from the sky as her face split into a toothy grin. "Frisk, you LIVE with this?! The sunlight is so nice…and the air is so fresh! I really feel alive!"_

 _"HEY SANS? WHAT'S THAT GIANT BALL?"_

 _"we call that 'the sun,' my friend."_

 _"_ THAT'S _THE SUN?" the taller of the two skeletons exclaimed. "WOWIE! I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M FINALLY MEETING THE SUN!"_

 _The monster king gave a content sigh. "I could stand here and watch this for hours…"_

 _"Yes, it is beautiful, is it not? But we should really think about what comes next."_

Frisk's sneakers kicked up a cloud of dust as they dragged across the ground.

 _"Oh, right," the monster king replied as he was dawned with realization. Coming to and pulling himself away from the burning of the sun. "Everyone…this is the beginning of a bright new future. An era of peace between humans and monsters."_

 _Asgore's head swiveled to the left. "Frisk…I have something to ask of you. Will you act as our ambassador to the humans?"_

 _Everyone was suddenly staring at the small human. They thought to themselves for a brief moment before giving them all a proud nod._

 _"YEAH! FRISK WILL BE THE BEST AMBASSADOR! AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS…WILL BE THE BEST MASCOT! I'LL GO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION!"_

 _Papyrus zipped away from the cliff face leaving only the streak of his crimson scarf billowing behind him._

 _Sans shrugged. "welp. someone's gotta keep him from getting into trouble."_

 _The shorter of the skeletons gave Frisk a wink and headed in the opposite direction that his brother had run to with a "see you guys."_

 _"Man, do I have to do EVERYTHING? Papyrus, wait!"_

 _Undyne followed, Alphys trailing behind her._

 _"Hey, Undyne! Wait up!" the scientist called._

 _Asgore observed the two leave."Whoops. Uh, should do something?"_

 _Toriel's only response was a glare. The pressure quickly got to Asgore and he averted his eyes. "Well, gotta go!_

The child hummed the soothing tune from the statue's music box and closed their eyes.

 _"It seems that everyone is quite eager to set off. Frisk...you came from this world, right? So you must have a place to return, do you not? What will you do now?_

 _Frisk looked out to the sunrise. Their gaze shifted to Toriel and the human pointed to their surrogate mother with an easy smile._

 _"What?" Tories asked in surprise, her eyebrows raising. "Frisk...you really are a funny child. If you had said that earlier, none of this would have happened. It is a good thing you took so long to change your mind."_

 _The human bashfully examined their shoes. Toriel was the mother they had always wanted. It had been hard to leave the Ruins, but it was only right to set the monsters free._

 _Toriel giggled. "Well…I suppose. If you really do not have any other place to go...I will do my best to take care of you, for as long as you need. All right? Now, come along."_

 _The monster took Frisk's hand and together they headed towards where Papyrus had shot off to. "Everyone is waiting for us!"_

"How come all the swings are always taken?!"

An annoyed exclamation drew Frisk out of their daydream. The young human glanced up to find the source of the voice to be two boys walking toward them.

"Just take one, Billy," the other kid said.

Not wanting to take up a swing they weren't really using, Frisk slid off and gave the two boys a small smile, gesturing for them to take their swing.

"Hey, look at that monster kid freak!"

Frisk stopped in mid hum.

"Yeah, what a weirdo, their mom isn't even a real human," the other chimed in.

"I bet they eat snails," the nasally boy in a striped sweater, who Frisk presumed to be Billy, snickered, " _and_ grass from the playground!"

 _'You can have it,'_ Frisk attempted to sign for them but they were cut off by the younger of the two boys.

"Huh?" he mocked, putting a hand to his ear. "What was that? I didn't hear you. What were you saying?"

Frisk raised their hands to sign again as their eyes desperately searched for MK to translate. They really didn't want to start a fight, nor could they work up the courage to use their words (the child knew their speech impediment would only worsen their teasing). The child just stood there awkwardly and prepared themselves for an encounter to begin.

They let the the kid in the striped sweater make the first move. The dirty blonde shoved Frisk to the ground. Tears pricked in the back of Frisk's eyes as they scraped their knee across the ground. Beads of blood blossomed on the child's stinging skin. The brunette was down to 17 HP.

They honestly didn't have much time until Papyrus got there. Now that school was over and kids were just spending the time on the playground waiting for their parents to come pick them up, the only teacher on playground duty was Ms. Chambers. Last time Frisk checked she was taking a nap besides a tree.

Frisk's hand hovered over their MERCY button, unsure of exactly how to proceed. The small child dealt with bullies like Billy every day. That didn't mean they were immune to their antics. If they weren't picking on Frisk's small stature or the fact Frisk spoke with their hands, the kids more often than not jumped happily onto the monster freak bandwagon.

Making a decision, Frisk decided to not ACT and simply SPARE Billy this round. The boy rejected Frisk's MERCY and swung at the smaller human. Frisk ducked under his punch and slid to the right, arching their spine away from the another fist that approached them and then weaving around the next.

Frisk snuck a peek at their watch. Papyrus would be there any minute. He would be sure to tell Toriel and Sans if he saw the others picking on them.

Frisk chose to ACT. They shook their head and motioned to Billy they didn't want to fight.

"S-Swing back you freak!" Billy yelled, unnerved by the shorter one's silence. Even though he swiftly retaliated, the obtrusiveness of his voice caught Frisk off guard and pain surged between their eyes. Their nose throbbed and they felt a hot liquid start to run down their face.

14 HP. Frisk pressed their palm to their MERCY button. They wouldn't let Billy illicit a reaction from them. Once again, they SPARED Billy.

"C'mon, Billy, this isn't any fun anymore," the fatter of the two companions whined. "Let's go."

Billy stared down where Frisk's blood had splattered on his knuckles and FLED in tow with his friend.

The panel dissipated. For some reason, Frisk didn't have the heart to get a bandage out from their inventory.

 _"Frisk...you came from this world, right? So you must have a place to return, do you not?"_

Frisk's hand tightened.

"TINY HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE COME TO—NEH?! _ISN'T THE RED STUFF SUPPOSED TO BE INSIDE OF YOU?!"_

At the sound of their best friend's voice Frisk pivoted to face the skeleton. They tried to give them their best reassuring smile (even though it was rather unreassuring most likely due to the tears threatening to spill over) but it only caused the skeleton to freak out more.

"WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED TO YOU? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Papyrus squatted down much like a fretting mother and patted himself. Quickly he skimmed through his inventory. Money, spaghetti, car keys, spaghetti, spaghetti…he knew he should have cleaned out his archive earlier that week! It was very unlike the Great Papyrus to be so incompetent!

While Papyrus was searching for something to staunch the flow of blood, Frisk reached into their own pockets and pulled out some bandages. They handed Papyrus a bandage and motioned to their knee while the child stuffed the other up against their nose.

 _'Sorry. I tripped getting off the swing set,_ ' Frisk explained once most of the bleeding had stopped. Papyrus stood back up from sticking a bandage to his favorite human's knee. He then gave them a wary look but if he didn't believe the child, he didn't say so.

"HMM…I WOULD CARRY YOU, BUT I WOULD RATHER NOT GET BLOOD ON MY UNIFORM," the skeleton shouted. "NO HARD FEELINGS, FRISK. PERHAPS MY HAND WILL SUFFICE?"

Frisk nodded and slipped their small hand into his boney one. Although the child was more than happy to hold the skeleton's hand, they still hung their head in what appeared to be shame.

Papyrus frowned. "ARE YOU SURE THERE IS NOTHING ELSE WRONG? THERE IS NO REASON TO FRET NOW THAT YOU ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE COOLEST GUY YOU KNOW!" He thought to himself before continuing with, "THEN AGAIN I WOULD BE QUITE SAD IF RED STUFF WAS COMING OUT OF ME TOO. DOES IT HURT?"

Frisk canted their head and gave a gloomy shrug.

Not wanting their cool friend to be sad any longer, Papyrus took dire actions. Frisk's eyes widened as Papyrus scooped them up and lifted them high into the air, swinging them around. They giggled as the skeleton made airplane noises, shaking the small human and drawing them into their ribcage to be tickled.

"AH! I AM SORRY, FRISK, I HAVE WORSENED YOUR INJURY IN ATTEMPTS TO CHEER YOU UP!"

Frisk laughed even harder as Papyrus crouched to set them down. They switched out their blood soaked bandage for another and gave the spaghetti maker a happy thumbs up.

"HOW ABOUT SOME NICE CREAM TO MAKE UP FOR YOUR FALL?"

Frisk drummed their feet on the ground in excitement, jumping and rocking back and forth on their heels. They flung themselves into Papyrus's chest and nuzzled their cheekbone.

"NEH? I LOVE YOU TOO, FRISK!" The skeleton blushed and then quickly added, "PLATONICALLY, OF COURSE. I ALSO ENJOY EVERY MOMENT WE SPEND TOGETHER AS WELL. PLATONICALLY."

He straightened back up and wrapped his hand around Frisk's. With their mood restored, they shuffled after Papyrus with a newfound bounce in their step.

* * *

It had been almost a year since the barrier that trapped the monsters underground broke. Frisk could still remember that day as clearly as if it had happened only yesterday. The first monsters to emerge were the ones they had grown closest to on the journey. Although the rest of the Underground urged to surge up through the newfound entrance to the Overground, Asgore declared that they were to stay back until he and the head of the Royal Guard had scouted out the surface below Mt. Ebott.

Frisk wasn't the least bit surprised when they were met with resistance.

The first human-monster contact happened when Papyrus rushed off right into a campground full of vacationing families.

 _"GREETINGS HUMANS!" he shouted. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM NOW YOUR NEWEST BEST FRIEND!"_

 _Frisk face palmed. As expected, the campers ran away screaming in horror at the sight of the walking, talking skeleton._

 _"nailed it," Sans commented, seeming to appear out of thin air besides Frisk. The child had jumped, earning them a wink from the shorter of the two skeletons._

 _Papyrus, oblivious to the human's terror, said "I THINK THAT WENT WELL!"_

 _The sound of police sirens was soon heard in the distance._

Thankfully, the next encounter went more smoothly. When the police showed up, Frisk carried out their first duty as the ambassador for monster kind and spoke on their behalf. To their luck, one of the men in the unit was able to translate to the rest what Frisk was signing. The child told the adults that the legends of monsters living beneath the mountain were true (as if that wasn't obvious enough) and that they meant them no harm. They also expounded on how they had climbed the mountain and fell in, how Toriel saved the child when they survived the fall, and how the monsters had helped them out of the Underground and back to the surface. They then elucidated to them once again that the monsters meant them no harm and were ready to return to the surface.

The police escorted Frisk and the nervous looking monsters to the station where the town's politicians were called in. Even though the small human was just a scared as well for how the monsters would be received, Toriel kept a steady hand on their shoulder when they needed to communicate. Once again Frisk told them the story of their fall, how Toriel had cared for them after getting injured, and that the monsters were ready to reclaim their place back in Overground society; the exile had lasted long enough.

Many debates, recounting their time in the Underground, and meetings later, the monsters were finally allowed to integrate back into society. Although Frisk didn't know the exact details—Asgore and Toriel did most of the negotiating after Frisk was done stressing that the monsters meant them no harm—the child did know that the steady coalesce nearly wasn't quite so steady. The older generation and quite a few of the politicians were fixed steadfast in their anti-monster ways. Fortunately, the younger generation would not tolerate the monsters to be treated as subhuman (some man that Frisk had never heard of, Martin Luther, was spoken about a lot during this time) and after many protests the monsters were finally allowed into Ebott to begin their resettlement.

Of course, integration between humans and monsters did not happen all at once. Most monsters stuck to primarily monster neighborhoods while humans stuck to their human ones. Monster based establishments popped up as well—Grillby started his pub back up, Muffet put her baking skills to use and made her own bakery, MK's parents opened a small grocery store, and Mettaton slowly began to rise to fame on TV channels that weren't just dedicated to monsters. Other than that, there was not much mingling of species outside of walking down main roads in the cozy town. It wasn't as if the monsters minded either. They were above ground and free once again. Their king had saved them from their subterranean lives. They didn't have much to complain about.

Toriel was the first monster to be hired in to an all human school, beginning a more thorough form of human-monster integration once her degree in education was recognized in both monster and human status. Undyne was soon to follow. Now that the Royal Guard was no longer needed, they disbanded and the fish monster took up a job as a gym teacher in the school when she was not practicing her newfound hobby (surfing) or soaking up rays on beaches a few miles outside of Ebott. Asgore took a job at the school as well (the big softy that he was) tending to the gardens. Alphys was hired into a lab in town once her own Ph. Ds. were recognized.

Papyrus was…well…Papyrus. He finally achieved his dream of being able to cruise down the highway in his own red convertible with the sun blazing down on his skull. Gold surprisingly went a long way in the human world. Frisk supposed Sans had a job. How else did he pay for rent?

When Frisk was not helping speak on the monster's behalf, they were with the skeleton brothers. The child had refused to go back to the orphanage once they had resurfaced with the others and begged the police to let the child stay with Toriel until the adoption papers were settled. Although they did have to go back, it was only for a few days. All of their monster friends came to visit them everyday but, surprisingly, it was Sans that stayed everyday with the human until he got kicked out. Much to Frisk's astonishment, he was always the first to arrive and the last to leave.

 _"Frisk, you have a visitor," one of the harsher, older women who worked at the orphanage told the child. Frisk raised their hands to ask who, eyes glimmering with excitement, but the adult swatted the child's hands down._

 _"For god sake use your words." She grabbed Frisk roughly by the arm and dragged the child down the hallway to the lounge, Frisk's feet struggling to keep up with her._

 _The woman threw the door open and pulled Frisk into the room, Frisk falling down and scraping their hands in the process._

 _"Don't you know how to walk?"_

 _The woman roughly sat Frisk down in a chair in the corner of the room and pointed a finger in their face. Frisk raised their hand to say something but once again it was batted down._

 _"Behave."_

 _The worker left the lounge without looking back. Frisk examined their shoes and their hands shook. They had just wanted to say thank you._

 _Sans, who had been waiting in the room for Frisk to arrive, watched the worker leave with balled up fists and a steely look on his face. One of his eyes were glowing blue. At the sight of him Frisk got off the chair and ran to him. The skeleton ruffled Frisk's hair and his pupils returned to normal._

 _"'sup, squirt. toriel is stuck in a conference so she sent me to come hang with you."_

 _Frisk moved to sign something but self consciously put their hands down._

 _"heya, why so blue? you're_ **azure** _know how to rain_ _on my parade, kid."_

 _Frisk perked up with a giggle. They raised their hands but put them down once again when they remembered that Sans didn't know sign language._

 _"it's okay, kid," Sans assured as if reading their mind. "why don't you teach me?"_

The rest of their day consisted of the two pointing to stuff and Frisk signing what it meant with Sans repeating the motions back to them. He picked it up pretty fast after that.

The next day when the worker came to get Frisk, she didn't lay a single hand on the orphan. When she bought Frisk to the visiting lounge, she gave Sans a terrified look and scurried out of the room.

Frisk had leapt into Papyrus's arms. He had tagged along with his brother that day.

 _"WHAT WAS HER PROBLEM?"_

 _"_ **tibia** _honest, i don't know. maybe someone had a_ **bone** _to pick with her."_

 _Frisk laughed. Sans winked. Papyrus screamed._

Frisk cried tears of joy when the adoption papers were finalized and Toriel was allowed to take the human home. But, because Toriel had been so busy with Asgore trying to get the monsters settled into their lives above on the Surface, the goat monster had had no time to find a home of her own. Sans offered for the two of them to crash in the spare bedrooms they had in their own home they were renting for the time being. Toriel promised they would be out as soon as they were able to find their own home.

In the time in-between homes Sans and Toriel grew close. For whatever reason, the ex-queen and human never left the skeleton brothers' house to find their own. Frisk certainly wasn't complaining. There was just enough room for both Frisk and Papyrus to fit comfortably in his race car bed. The child also got to wake up Sans in the morning for breakfast (Frisk would leap onto the couch or bed— really wherever he fell asleep—throwing themselves onto the skeleton and tickling his ribcage. Sans would retaliate by lazily flicking his wrist and suspending them in the air with his magic. While Frisk was squealing in delight and kicking around, Sans would pretend he didn't hear the human and snuggle deeper under whatever covers Toriel had thrown on top of him.) so that was a big plus.

On weekends Frisk would have sleepovers at Undyne and Alphys's home a few blocks down. Toriel, Sans, or Papyrus would walk the child down and another would be there to pick them back up Sunday morning. In the afternoon they would go to the beach with Undyne to learn how to surf while Alphys worked overtime in her lab. After their day in the sun, Undyne would give Frisk cooking lessons back at her home. Mettaton and Napstablook would sometimes come over to eat if they weren't performing. Mettaton would shower their favorite child in kisses (he would never be able to thank them enough for helping him become a star above the Underground) and Napstablook would give Frisk a shy greeting. After their meal they would settle in to watch anime with Alphys.

The weekends they weren't with Alphys and Undyne they were with Asgore at his small one-story cottage. Toriel would begrudgingly drop her child off and Frisk would joyfully hug the ex-monster king. Together they would color, watch movies, and care for his flowers (Frisk loved him most when the child would suddenly get scared and accidentally trample his buttercups. Instead of scolding the child he would draw them into his arms and comfort them, apologizing endlessly. Frisk always forgave him without a second thought even though the nightmares would always last.) One weekend the small human brought him over a shirt they decorated in art class that read _Mr. Dad Guy._ Asgore chuckled, tears welling up in his eyes, and proudly put it on. Frisk referred to him as dad from there on out.

(Of course, after time there was another who Frisk called 'Dad' in their head but they could never work up the courage to do it out loud.)

For the first time in their lives, Frisk's heart was full and they were surrounded by people who truly loved them and cared for them deeply. They were happy.

Frisk held onto their hopes and dreams that it would never end. They knew that they would never reset ever again.

But someone else had other plans.

* * *

 **Sincerely hope you enjoyed. I have big plans for this fic and I'm really looking forward to writing some PTA Sans lmao. Until next time!**

 **-Sav**


	2. Spaghetti Mania

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own two scenes in this chapter, one being where Papyrus and Frisk are playing and the other being where Frisk and Sans are talking about the science fair. Instead, these two scenes are from comics and all credit goes to the respective artists Mckenzie H (qtarts dot tumblr dot com) and Stewart (quicksilver26 dot tumblr dot com).**

* * *

In Sans' humble opinion, Keurigs were totally overrated. At first, the whole idea of the instant coffee seemed like a godsend. All the skeleton had to do was pop a K-cup into the machine and hit brew and a few moments later the steaming drink flooded into his cup, ready to be consumed. It wasn't like he exactly missed the odd grinding noises his old coffee machine used to make in the Underground. This one was virtually silent most of the time which meant he could sleep longer on the couch without the making of Toriel's using morning cup (a dash of creamer with two scoops of sugar) waking him up.

His coffee drinking life was perfect until the Keurig's true colors began to show.

Depending on the type of water they used, whether tap or bottle, scaling build up and other debris could clog the line which meant extra work to clean out. When he hit the brew button after selecting his cup size, the machine would suddenly switch his preference and coffee would cascade from the machine, overtaking the cup and turn the contraption into a java-spewing waterfall (then he had to wipe up the spill which meant more work). Air bubbles often snuck into the pipes on the machine which meant extra work to clean out. Sometimes there wasn't enough warm up time and the coffee would come out cold (which was the _literal worst,_ the last thing Sans wanted was ice cold coffee racing down his throat while he was still groggy) and he would have to scrub the pipes which meant extra work to clean out. If the machine received the slightest touch or bump, the pieces in Keurig had to be resealed and recalibrate. Sans hated doing calibrations after just waking up it was almost as bad as the cold coffee. And calibrations meant even more extra work.

He wasn't some damn connoisseur of the coffee making art but god forbid he enjoy a cup without something going wrong. Call him a lazybones, but Sans hated every moment he had to spend with the coffee machine from hell.

Sans scowled at said Keurig and continued his saunter into his small living room. He plopped down onto his sofa and grabbed the newspaper he had been browsing earlier. The clock read 3:45. What was taking Papyrus so long?

The skeleton shrugged. Maybe he had stopped at Undyne's with Frisk on their way home.

Before he could decide not to give it a second thought the door slammed open, the hinges screaming in protest. Sans paid no attention and slumped further into the couch to do his reading.

"YOURS SAYS 'YOU'RE SUPER SPIFFY!' I HAVE TO AGREE WITH THE WRAPPER, HUMAN, YOU ARE RATHER FASHIONABLE! OF COURSE, NOT AS IN TUNE WITH STYLE AS I AM, BUT STILL QUITE SPIFFY!"

Ah. So the delay had been nice cream related.

There was a brief silence that Sans guessed was caused by Frisk signing their response. Papyrus cackled.

"MINE SAYS 'IS THIS AS SWEET AS YOU?' NEARLY! NYEH HEH HEH!"

The drumming of excited feet.

"I DISAGREE. YOU TOO ARE MUCH SWEETER THAN NICE CREAM! WHAT? NO, NO, NO! YOU ARE TOO SILLY!"

Frisk tittered as they fought to surprise their snickers.

"I'M ACTUALLY NOT SURE WHAT A SKELETON'S FAVORITE INSTRUMENT IS. I BELIEVE IT DIFFERS FOR EVERY SKELETON. WH—NO! NOT YOU TOO!" Papyrus let out a distressed screech. "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME I JUST TOOK YOU OUT FOR NICE CREAM!"

Frisk let out an unrestrained belly laugh. They snorted so loudly that Papyrus couldn't help but chortle along.

"ALRIGHT, I SUPPOSE. DO YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE IS A FAVORITE INSTRUMENT FOR SKELETONS? _A TROM-_ _ **BONE**_ _!_ _"_

Frisk gave something akin to a squee.

"AH NO! TINY HANDS! MY ONLY WEAKNESS!"

Papyrus came running into the living room with Frisk clinging to his head and their hands thrown over his eye sockets. Frisk was pecking his skull over and over with their lips, making noisy kissing sounds and kicking their socked feet in the air.

"SANS! THE HUMAN IS ATTEMPTING TO SUBDUE ME WITH KISSES!"

Sans flipped to the next page in his newspaper and smirked. "kiss 'em back, bro."

Frisk had their arms bound around Papyrus's neck and were dangling off of his back. The skeleton fell onto all floors with a desperate, "THEY'RE…TOO…STRONG…" and flopped down onto his ribcage. The child giggled now that they were sitting on top of the taller skeleton brother and kneaded his scarf.

"savage," Sans insisted, not looking up from his paper. He could hear the mischievous smile in their giggles.

Papyrus flipped around and grabbed Frisk. He hoisted the laughing child into the air and cried, "THE GREAT PAPYRUS RETALIATES! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Frisk squirmed out of Papyrus's grasp and shot into the kitchen. Papyrus soon ran after them, yelling something about needing the human's help to prepare his world famous spaghetti.

Things were certainly never boring in the skeleton household. Sans drew his newspaper closer, reclined further into the couch, and settled in for his third nap of the day.

* * *

 _"_ _p-papyrus?_ _"_

 _Fear laced through his bones as he sunk a trembling hand into the pile of dust before him. Gingerly, he tugged out a red scarf from the gray heap and held it close._

 _"_ _no,_ _"_ _he mumbled. His tears threatened to spill over._ _"_ _no!_ _"_

 _A high, demented cackle cut through his ribs. His head inclined and he gasped. A pair of crimson eyes flashed along with the glint of a toothy grin._

 _There was a dull, sickening_ thunk _as the curl of a pinky finger met his torso._

Sans' breath staggered. He flinched at someone's touch and he fought to steady the magic racing through his bones.

Frisk was standing before the skeleton. Their brows were raised in concern, hand raised as if they had just jerked it away in fear.

"S-Sans?"

With shaking limbs Sans took a gulp and tuned the magic racing from his eye socket back into his SOUL.

"h-hey, frisk. sorry, kiddo, did i scare you? wait, what happened to your face?"

There was a light bruise growing over the bridge of the child's nose. His jaw tightened at the sight.

"they aren't pickin' on you at school, are they?"

 _'_ _I fell off the swing. Pap says dinner is ready,_ _'_ Frisk signed with a noncommittal shrug. They weren't looking at him. _'_ _Mom called. She_ _'_ _s working late tonight._ _'_

Hmm. He would have to ask Toriel about it later.

Sans stepped over his newspaper as he got off the couch. He ruffled Frisk's hair. Hopefully that was enough to assure them he was alright, that he believed them (for the time being) and it was only just a dream.

"why don't we go get some grub then?"

Frisk lead the way to the table, the child obviously shook up about startling Sans (but it seemed like Frisk was more perturbed about the situation than the skeleton was now that he was awake). Sans watched as the small human climbed up into their spot next to where Papyrus usually sat and gave Sans a minute smile before resuming their normal, passive expression. Papyrus, who wasn't one to keep others waiting, rushed over with three plates of spaghetti and set them out on the table. He tossed his towel and _Kiss the Cook_ apron so they landed on the towel rack and sat down besides the human.

" **bone** -appétit," Sans said with a wink.

Papyrus grimaced and his body shook. Frisk—who had been pressing a firm hand to their ear—brightened and dug into their spaghetti enthusiastically. Papyrus eagerly went off on a tangent about something that was happening at Frisk's school, dramatic hand motions to boot, but Sans had trouble paying attention; that wasn't a rare occurrence, though, Sans had difficulty maintaining focus when he was drowsy. The skeleton's thoughts drifted instead to center in on the kid before him who was beaming at Papyrus as if the skeleton was their whole world.

It was very unlike Frisk to lie. What bothered Sans most was that it was even more unlike the kid to lie to _him._ Frisk was always an open book. They told any of their monster family what they were thinking or feeling, especially when it came to getting anxious (the human usually had at least three telltale signs: they would cover one or both of their ears, their hands would clench and unclench, or every muscle in their body would tighten). It was hard to get over the fact that the human was keeping something from him when it felt like the two of them had been through hell and back.

 _"_ _so you finally made it,_ _"_ _sans uttered. The human had stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of him._ _"_ _the end of your journey is at hand. in a few moments, you will meet the king. together_ _…_ _you will determine the future of this world. that's then. n_ _ow._ _you will be judged. you will be judged for every action. you will be judged for every EXP you've earned._ _"_

 _He could feel Frisk shaking as he explained the true meaning behind the acronyms EXP and LV. Light was void from the skeleton_ _'_ _s eye sockets._

 _"_ _the more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. the more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others._ _"_ _sans finally met the child_ _'_ _s gaze as his eyes flicked back to normal._ _"_ _but you_ _…_ _you never gained any LOVE. 'course, that doesn't mean you're completely innocent or naive. just that you kept a certain tenderness in your heart. no matter the struggles or hardships you faced_ _…_ _you strived to do the right thing. you refused to hurt anyone. even when you ran away, you did it with a smile. you never gained LOVE, but you gained love. does that make sense?_ _"_

 _Frisk smiled. Sans sighed._

 _"_ _maybe not. now. you're about to face the greatest challenge of your entire journey. your actions here_ _…_ _will determine the fate of the entire world. if you refuse to fight_ _…_ _asgore will take your SOUL and destroy humanity. but if you kill asgore and go home,_ _monsters will remained trapped underground. what will you do?_ _"_ _Sans closed his eyes._ _"_ _well, if i were you, i would have thrown in the towel by now._ _"_

 _S_ _ans_ _blinked and gave Frisk his signature grin._ _"_ _but you didn't get this far by giving up, did you? that's right. you have something called 'determination.' as long as you hold on_ _…_ _so as long as you do what's in your heart_ _…_ _i believe you can do the right thing. alright. we're all counting on you, kid._ _"_

 _F_ _risk and S_ _ans stare_ _d at one another for a long minute_ _._ _Then, all of a sudden, F_ _risk_ _sniffed_ _._ _S_ _ans_ _felt his grin fade as the human burst into tears._

 _"_ _kid_ _…"_

 _Frisk became very curious in the state of their shoes. They were completely overwhelmed as they twiddled their thumbs and snuffled._

 _Without thinking Sans o_ _pen_ _ed his arms in offering. F_ _risk_ _immediately ran into his arms and the skeleton_ _scoop_ _ed the child up to his ribs in an embrace. A foreign feeling raced through Sans_ _'_ _bones that caused his SOUL to stutter when Frisk began to hiccup and sob into his coat._

 _"_ _hey, kiddo, it_ _'_ _s_ _…_ _it_ _'_ _s_ _…"_ _Sans couldn_ _'_ _t finish. What was he supposed to say? That everything was going to be alright? That they would be okay?_

 _When Papyrus was little he liked his skull pet and back rubbed. Sans ran his free hand through Frisk_ _'_ _s hair, mimicking the motions he used to do when he took care of his brother. Eventually Frisk calmed down and wriggled out of the hug. They gave Sans a sad, hesitant smile and wiped the remainder of their tears on the sleeve of their sweater._

It was in that moment that Sans finally saw Frisk for what they really were—a small, scared child who was unfortunate enough to tumble down into the Underground. Sans' SOUL felt as if it was trapped in a vice grip. What kind of monster would he be if he let the kid go all alone? He had done is best to keep an eye socket out for the small human (it was as if Sans had some type of internal Frisk radar—Frisk-dar?) and treated them the best he could without causing too much suspicion.

Sans hated making promises. Nevertheless, against his better judgement, he did it anyway. He had promised to keep the kid safe and it was a promise that he was going to fulfill.

 _"_ _S-S-S_ _'_ _rry,_ _"_ _Frisk stammered_.

 _"_ _ah, don_ _'_ _t worry_ _'_ _bout it. i_ _'_ _d take asgore on myself but i don_ _'_ _t have the_ **guts** _._ _"_

 _Frisk_ _'_ _s nose crinkled._

 _"_ _yeah, sorry that one was a little_ **heartless** _._ _" The_ _joke earned him a dimpled cheek. Sans winked._ _"_ _good luck._ _"_

 _'—_ _spaghetti cake._ _'_

As Sans drifted back to reality, he caught the tail end of Frisk's sentence.

"LASAGNA?" Papyrus's eyes appeared as if they were going to fall out of their sockets they were so bugged out. "I…I HAVE TO ALERT UNDYNE."

In a true, Papyrus fashion, the taller skeleton raced out of his chair and threw himself out the nearest window. Thankfully, Sans remembered to open it today so his exit was not preceded by the shattering of glass.

The following silence was broken by Frisk scooting their chair away from the table and holding up a finger. They strode out of the kitchen to the entry way and there was the sound of rummaging as they rifled through their backpack. The child pitter-pattered back to the table, filled with a newfound exhilaration when they thrust a crumpled flier into Sans' face.

The lazy skeleton skimmed over the leaflet as he shoveled a fork full of spaghetti into his mouth. It was an advertisement for the elementary science fair that 1st through 6th graders would be competing in. Awards for the best project would be handed out by grade during the competition that was to take place in two weeks.

"science fair huh? what about it?"

A flurry of hands.

"you want my help, huh?" Sans asked. Frisk nodded. "why not ask alphys?"

Frisk rapidly described how Alphys would be busy all next week and wouldn't have much time for herself, let alone to help out.

Sans heaved a sigh. "alright. i suppose it wouldn't hurt. but…no models of the solar system."

Frisk nodded proudly and began to sign something else but Sans interrupted them.

"or potato batteries."

The child gave Sans a bemused look. Sans grinned.

" _or_ baking soda volcanoes! trust me, frisk, nothing is worse than a science fair of nothing but baking soda volcanoes. it really **blows** if you ask me. nah, we'll think of a better idea, kiddo."

There was a loud crash as a fish monster soared through the window and somersaulted into the cabinet holding Toriel's pots and pans. There was another flash of red that matched the color of Undyne's hair as a skeleton barrel rolled in after and stuck the landing with a loud "TA-DAH!"

"Spaghetti _cake?!_ _"_ Undyne demanded, hoisting Frisk into the air by the back of their shirt and shaking her fist. "What ELSE have you been holding back from us, PUNK!"

"A-According to my c-calculations, lasagna has been around m-much longer than Frisk has!" Alphys announced. Thankfully, she had entered through the front door like normal monsters did.

Frisk's shoulders bobbed indifferently, their expression unmoved. The child was used to being thrown around by Undyne.

"Listen here, you—"

Frisk squealed loudly and their legs flailed as Undyne began to noogie them. Summoning their determination the child they escaped and took off into the next room.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Undyne shouted. She pursued with a spear materializing in one hand and a plate of spaghetti balanced in the clutches of the other.

The whole house erupted into chaos. Papyrus had chased the other monster and the child, proclaiming that he had just vacuumed and wanted nothing broken. Alphys became a stammering mess, making haste to where her girlfriend had sprinted off to. Sans decided that he would let his awesome brother handle the situation and hunkered down at the table to catch some z's. His jacket pooled up around him and he began to snooze at the table.

Toriel could not have picked a better time to walk into her house. Frisk was hanging from their ankles and a green shield in the shape of a heart floating around them. Undyne was moving her hand around the shield whenever she could to tickle Frisk in the ribs. Both of them had spaghetti sauce on their faces and noodles in their hair. Alphys was clinging to Undyne's leg with her eyes closed and pleading not to hurt the human. Papyrus was howling about a broken vase, running around with his hands on his head, and somehow managed to get himself covered in spaghetti sauce as well. Sans—who was supposed to be acting as the responsible one (but he never did much to Toriel's chagrin)—as usual, was sleeping.

"What on Earth are you doing to my child?"

Every monster in the kitchen froze.

Undyne dropped Frisk and they fell to the floor on their back. They stuck their tongue out at the other monsters and skipped into Toriel's waiting hug. The child snuggled up to their mother and Toriel smoothed their tomato paste covered hair back to reveal their smudged face.

 _'_ _Hi, Momma!_ _'_ Frisk signed. _'_ _Pap made dinner!_ _'_

"I can see that." Toriel, who had been gazing at the human as if they could do no wrong, gave the rest of the room an icy glare.

"Y-Y-Your majesty!" Undyne faltered.

"We'll…We'll h-help and clean up!" Alphys broke in. "S-S-Sorry for the m-mess!"

Papyrus, however, was still crying.

"OUR VASE! I JUST DUSTED! HOW COULD THEY BREAK OUR VASE?! MACARONI _EVERYWHERE_ _—"_

Sans chose that second to wake up.

"welp, it's probably time for your bath, squirt," Sans said, checking the clock. "c'mon, kiddo."

Toriel seized the hood of Sans's jacket. "I don't think so. Papyrus, could you please give Frisk their bath tonight?"

Damn. Looked like he wouldn't be shirking work. Sans suppressed a groan.

Frisk's hands moved in reassurance, letting Papyrus know that he could come into school tomorrow and make another vase with them. The two of them went up the stairs to the bathroom, Papyrus continuing to complain how no one ever appreciated his cleanliness.

Sans shrugged off his jacket and let it fall into his chair. He followed suit when Undyne and Alphys plodded in abashment over to the sink. Sans' bones felt heavy and he broke out in a sweat. By the look on Toriel's face, Sans knew that he would be getting a skull full after everyone left.

* * *

Frisk yawned from where they were leaning heavily against Papyrus, their cheek squished into the skeleton's collar bone. The child had initially insisted that they weren't tired, that they could stay up and watch another movie with him, their mom, and Sans, but eventually they had been unable to stop themselves from snoozing in Sans's lap. At the sight of them Toriel had Papyrus carry them up to bed.

Papyrus helped Frisk into his car shaped bed, holding back the covers while the child stretched and flopped down into their pillow. Although Toriel wasn't fond of Frisk sleeping with someone she believed might accidentally crush the little human she believed too delicate to be resting besides their rather tall and bony friend, there wasn't an extra bed in the house for Frisk to claim as their own.

"WE WILL HAVE MUCH FUN TOMORROW, HUMAN," Papyrus whisper-yelled encouragingly. He crouched down next to where Frisk laying. "IF YOU WILL HAVE ME, I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO TAKE YOU UP ON THAT OFFER TO REMAKE OUR PASTA VASE."

Frisk gave their friend a sleepy smile. They raised hand and said, _'_ _I love you._ _'_

Papyrus's expression shifted a bit as he read Frisk's gesture carefully. The skeleton unwrapped his scarf from around his neck and draped it over the child. He then stooped down and lightly nudged Frisk's forehead with his. Frisk tilted their head up so they could plant a kiss between Papyrus's eye sockets.

"WOWIE, YOU ARE ALWAYS GOOD AT THOSE," Papyrus murmured affectionately. "GOODNIGHT, HUMAN."

The door closed behind him with a soft click. Frisk pulled the scarf up under their cheek and closed their eyes. It had been a great evening full of laughter and smiles. As the human's breathing slowed, they hoped for a night that wasn't plagued by red eyes and unforgiving laughter.

* * *

 **I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I just wanted to give you all a glimpse into Frisk's everyday life at home and what kind of trouble far too often when Toriel isn't home.**

 **Thank you all so much for the reviews, faves, follows, and views! It makes me so happy knowing that other people are enjoying my work :) I'm going to _try_ to get an update in at least once a week if homework and exams don't pile on too much, so I hope you all stick around.**

 **Until next time!**

 **-Sav**


	3. Rudimentary

_"I'm so sorry. I always was a cry baby, wasn't I, Chara? I know. You're not actually Chara, are you? Chara's been gone for a long time. Um...what...what_ is _your name?"_

 _"Frisk," the human said with a teary smile._

 _"'Frisk?' That's...a nice name." Asriel beamed, his eyes watering._ _"_ _Frisk_ _…_ _I haven't felt like this for a long time. As a flower, I was soulless. I lacked the power to love other people. However, with everyone's SOULs inside me_ _…_ _I not only have my own compassion back_ _…_ _but I can feel every other monsters' as well. They all care about each other so much."_

 _His_ _eyes lowered. "And they care about you too, Frisk."_

 _Asriel's gaze met Frisk's again. The tears that had been threatening to overflow began to fall down his cheeks, cutting tracks through his white fur. The prince wiped his face on his paws and calmed himself. "I wish I could tell you how everyone feels about you. Papyrus, Sans, Undyne, Alphys, Toriel. Monsters are weird. Even though they barely know you, it feels like they all really love you."_

 _The little monster laughed and then it trailed off. H_ _e_ _was despondent, his shoulders slumping guiltily. Frisk's hands trembled._ _"_ _Frisk_ _…_ _I_ _…_ _I understand if you can't forgive me. I understand if you hate me. I hurt you. I hurt so many people. Friends, family, bystanders. There's no excuse for what I've done."_

 _Without a second through Frisk took a step toward Toriel's son and said,_ _"_ _I forgive you."_

 _"_ _Wh_ _…_ _what? Frisk, come one. You_ _'_ _re_ _…_ _you_ _'_ _re gonna make me cry again. Besides, even if you do forgive me, I can't keep these SOULs inside me. The least I can do is return them. But first_ _…_ _there_ _'_ _s something I have to do. Right now, I can feel everyone's heats beating as one. They're all burning with the same desire. With everyone's power_ _…_ _with everyone's determination_ _…_ _it_ _'_ _s time for monsters to finally go free. "_

Frisk hummed the tune of the statue's music box to calm themselves and pressed their palms closer to their ears. They could still feel their mother's kiss that she had placed before heading off to work. The child had pretended to be asleep.

 _"_ _Frisk_ _…_ _I have to go now. Without the power of everyone's SOULs_ _…"_ _Asriel trailed off. His brow furrowed and his head drooped. "I can't keep maintaining this form. In a little while, I_ _'_ _ll_ _—_ _I'll turn back into a flower. I'll stop being 'myself.' I'll stop being able to feel love again. So, Frisk, it's best if you just forget about me, okay? Just go be with the people who love you."_

 _Tears streamed down Frisk's face as they ran to Asriel and threw their arms around him. Asriel rested their chin on the human's shoulder and they hugged each other tightly, both of the children starting to weep._

 _"_ _I_ _-_ _I,_ _"_ _Asriel began with a sob, "I don't want to let go."_

 _The little monster pulled away and Frisk took a step back. It was time._

 _"Frisk, you_ _'_ _re_ _…"_ _Asriel perked up and gave Frisk a smile. "You're going to do a great job, okay? No matter what you do, everyone will be there for you, okay? Well, my time is running out. Goodbye."_

 _Asriel began to walk away. As if he remembered something, he froze in mid step and turned back around to take in Frisk one more time. "By the way, Frisk, take care of Mom and Dad for me, okay?"_

"HUMAN! IT IS TIME TO RISE AND SHINE!"

Although Papyrus's voice was muffled by their hands, his enthusiasm was evident.

"I WILL DEPLOY MY TICKLE ATTACK IF YOU DO NOT GET UP!" Papyrus informed. "THE PANCAKES ARE ALMOST READY!"

Frisk took a series of deep breaths to calm themselves. The small child kicked off their covers and rolled out of Papyrus's bed, thumping on the ground and throwing out their arms dramatically.

"YOU ARE QUITE THEATRICAL! ALMOST AS MUCH AS METTATON!" Papyrus said. He stooped down, put his arms under Frisk's armpits, and lifted them upright. He then grabbed one of his blankets and wrapped the child up.

"IT IS CHILLY TODAY, WE WOULD NOT WANT YOU GETTING SICK!" Papyrus gave the human a side-eye. "ALTHOUGH, I WOULD NOT KNOW, I DON'T HAVE SKIN. OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS WHAT YOU MUST BE THINKING. BUT, AS YOU KNOW, THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS RESOURCEFUL AND PLANS AHEAD! BEFORE WAKING YOU UP, I ASKED TORIEL AND SHE SUGGESTED YOU WEAR A JACKET."

He hoisted the human up over one shoulder. A sweet aroma wafted up Frisk's nostrils and washed over their tongue and Frisk patted their hands along Papyrus's spine in anticipation for what breakfast would bring.

"COME ALONG NOW, THE PANCAKES ARE NEARLY DONE AND YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO MISS THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY! SECOND TO ANY MEAL CONTAINING SPAGHETTI, THAT IS!"

The master chef set Frisk down on the tile once they were in the kitchen and crouched down at eye level with the child. He then declared, "CAN YOU GO WAKE SANS SO HE IS NOT LATE FOR WORK? I WILL SET THE TABLE."

Frisk nodded and started off toward the couch. It was when they were halfway there that they were struck with a wonderful idea, one that would only ensue the use of magic. Sneaking around the back of the sofa, Frisk pulled themselves up onto the ledge and rolled down with a squeal.

But, instead of their back landing on the body of a sleeping skeleton, Frisk sunk into empty cushions. Confused, the human slipped off the sagging piece of furniture and glanced around. For whatever reason, Sans hadn't been enticed by the siren's call of the sofa. If he wasn't on the couch or in Papyrus's bed, where was he? The only bed left was their mother's—

Frisk's eyes widened. The child hastened to Toriel's room and slowly creaked the door open, peeking their head in. From their position they could see the slight rise and fall of a chest beneath the halfway made arrangement of blankets.

 _What is he doing?_ Frisk asked.

But no one answered.

The small human crept closer to investigate. Stepping up on their tiptoes, they peered up over the top of the bed where the comedian was snoozing soundly.

Oh well. They would just have to surprise him like that.

Frisk tip-toed to the end of Toriel's bed with ginger movements scaled up the bed. After hauling their legs up and over, they curled their legs beneath them and jumped.

The child was swiftly hoisted up off their feet as Sans awoke with a start, his eye blazing. His usual grin was turned downward in astonishment.

Unfortunately, Frisk didn't receive much air time. Sans lowered the human back onto the bed with the swipe of his hand and said, "frisk, wha-whaddya doin'?"

 _'_ _I_ _…_ _I wanted to surprise you!_ _'_ the child explained with tentative hand movements, trying to look enthusiastic even though they suddenly felt anything but. The abashed look on Sans' face and the way he wouldn't meet their eye was unnerving.

"well, kid, ya certainly got me." Sans threw the blankets off of him and swung his legs over the side of the mattress, offering his hand to Frisk to help the human down. Frisk did so and Sans straightened up once he too was off Toriel's bed.

"i'd, uh…i'd appreciate it if you didn't tell papyrus i was in here," Sans said.

Frisk gave him a small smile and a nod. He hadn't even protested once yet to being woken up.

"thanks, kiddo, i know i can always count on ya." The skeleton ruffled their hair. "why don't you go eat, i'll catch up in a minute."

He hadn't made a single pun either. Troubled, Frisk headed back to the kitchen to where Papyrus, with an apron that had "Mr. Good Lookin' is Cookin'" written in glitter glue on the chest, had set the table and was dishing out pancakes. Frisk climbed up into their chair and donned their usual passive expression in order to conceal their churning thoughts.

Why was Sans so worried about being found in Toriel's room? Why didn't he want Papyrus to know? It was unlike him to be so embarrassed and to care so much about something. Out of all the places for Sans to crash, why was it Toriel's room? And why did it matter?

It wasn't until Sans wandered into the kitchen, made a few breakfast puns, and settled down to eat when a bolt of realization shot through Frisk like an electric shock and the child gasped and dropped their fork.

Sans looked up from his plate and met Frisk's stare from across the table. "what's wrong?"

"THEY MUST BE TAKEN ABACK BY MY EXCELLENT COOKING ABILITIES! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Frisk was appalled. How could they be so stupid? The Other had taught Frisk what flirting was during their time in the Underground. They had suggested it quite often to get out of nearly every fight for they relished in the reaction they received collectively. One of the only times they hadn't suggested it was when they faced RG01 and RG02. When Frisk asked why, the Other explained that they were so clearly in love with one another and it would be wrong to be a home wrecker.

"kid?"

Frisk gave Sans the stink eye in response. The skeleton chuckled nervously, squirming under their gaze. "tha-that's a weird look ya got there, kiddo."

Frisk hopped down from their chair and excused themselves from the table, heading back to their room to get dressed.

"THEY ARE AGHAST! THE GREAT CHEF PAPYRUS APOLOGIZES FOR BEING SO MASTERFUL AT HIS CRAFT!"

Why hadn't he told them earlier? Frisk always admitted every secret and notion to Sans so why did the skeleton keep that from them? It wasn't even like they were mad about the two of them being together—the child wasn't even remotely upset about that. They couldn't understand why Sans would keep secrets from them. Sans, who let Frisk ride around in his jacket like a kangaroo in order to prank Papyrus, who made sure Frisk always had colorful band-aids with their favorite characters plastered on the front to wear and helped the child put them on whenever they scraped their elbows or knees. Sans, who would let Frisk crawl onto the couch with him or sit in his cramped office when the child didn't have the heart to wake up Toriel, who happily helped Frisk catch up on their math when the teacher went too fast. Sans, who taught Frisk how to tie their shoes when no one ever did before, who would swing them higher than any kid on the swing set with his magic when he was too lazy to actually push or would bring down the cookie jar from the top shelf where Frisk couldn't reach with a flick of his wrist.

Frisk contemplated this as they pulled on their sweater and a pair of overalls. They were struggling with the clasps when there was a knock on their door.

"hey kid." Sans shuffled Papyrus's room with his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "can we talk?"

Frisk gave him a curt nod and sat on the edge of the red race car to tug their socks and shoes on.

"leave it to you to figure out what's going on before the others do, ya know? i uh…i would appreciate it if we kept this on the dl. i-i'm not sure how to tell pap yet and…hey, don't give me that look, i was gonna tell you but i didn't…yeah, yeah, you're right, i'm sorry."

As he spoke, Frisk hadn't signed a word. Instead Frisk had made small movements with their eyebrows, Sans reading every look as easily as pages from a book.

"i understand why you're mad, though. i'd be mad if _someone_ —" Sans' fist flexed as he squatted down to help Frisk with the buttons on their overalls. Frisk knew exactly who he was talking about. "—was trying to make the moves on my bro. that's not even remotely close to this situation, but hey, it's the best i can do."

 _'_ _I_ _'_ _m not mad,_ _'_ Frisk signed.

"wait, really?"

Frisk nodded and smiled.

"welp, that takes a ton of weight off of my shoulders. a whole skele- **ton**."

The child groaned.

"aw, c'mon, i knew i couldn't lie to ya long," Sans winked. "you can see **right through me**."

Frisk couldn't help but beam as they reached across Papyrus's desk and handed Sans a length of ribbon.

"don't worry, i won't tell anymore **fibias**."

 _'_ _Sans!_ _'_

The skeleton laughed as he tied a bow into Frisk's wild mane of hair for them.

"hey, do you want to hear a **femur**? sorry, that was a stretch. i guess i'm gettin' down to the **bare bones**."

Frisk giggled. _'_ _You_ _'_ _re really tickling my_ **funny bone**.'

If even possible, Sans' grin grew even bigger.

"c'mon, squirt, you don't wanna be late for school and i can't be late for work or else we're gonna be a pair of numb **skulls**."

Together they walked to the living where Papyrus was waiting to take Frisk to school. As Sans held Frisk's backpack out for them to shoulder on, he appeared to be extremely proud.

"have a good day at school, kiddo," Sans waved, his brother and Frisk heading out the door to Papyrus's car. "you too, bro, don't make anything too **impastable** with your macaroni art today."

"YOU'RE GOING TO RUIN MY MORNING," Papyrus shouted as he opened the door so Frisk could hop in.

"you should say that it's turning into a—"

" _SANS._ _"_

"—di **sauce** ster."

Papyrus leapt over his car with a scream and landed in the driver's seat, slamming the key into the ignition and backing out of the driveway before Sans could harass him with more puns. Frisk waved as they drove away.

 _''_ _Bye D_ —' But they were cut off by Papyrus whipping onto the road and down the street, their home disappearing in the rearview mirror.

* * *

Frisk intertwined their fingers with Papyrus, their free hand tracing the red heart that was embroidered on the chest pocket of their overalls. The shrill ring of the school bell resounded through the hallway, overpowering the talking and high-pitched laughter of human and monster children alike at their pint-sized lockers as they shoved their overgarments into their cubbyholes.

Some of the nearby children ran over to Papyrus and clung to his legs, shrieking excitedly.

"It's Papyrus!"

"Are you coming to class today, Papyrus?!"

"Are you gonna be our substitute teacher?"

"Hi, Papyrus! Hi, hi, hi!"

Over the past few months Frisk had been attending the elementary school, Papyrus had spent much of his time volunteering for playground duty and during school wide activities. Because of this, Papyrus had gained a little fan club out of a small collection of children in both the grades below and above Frisk. It was hard not to flock toward his kindness and enthusiastic unpredictability.

"I AM AFRAID I CANNOT STAY THE WHOLE DAY, I AM MERELY ATTENDING ART CLASS WITH FRISK TODAY, SMALL HUMANS! BUT, REST ASSURED I WILL MAKE SURE TO HELP OUT AT THE NEXT FIELD DAY!"

The small gaggle squealed and ran off to their classrooms, calling their goodbyes to the skeleton.

"WOWIE, I SURE HAVE MADE A LOT OF FRIENDS HERE ON THE SURFACE!"

 _'_ _That_ _'_ _s because you_ _'_ _re so cool!_ _'_

Papyrus blushed. "O-OF COURSE I AM! I AM ONE COOL DUDE!"

Frisk lead the way to their art class, Papyrus checking in with the teacher to make sure it was alright for him to sit in with the child for the day. Unlike many of the teachers in Frisk's school, Mrs. Kedves could care less who was in their class for the day as long as they were peaceful and enjoyed the fine arts. Mrs. Kedves was a wonderful, kind woman who wore billowing clothes and silver beads in her coarse, braided hair. She was a bit larger than life and insisted that if the children were uncomfortable pronouncing her name to just call her Gloria.

She called for the children to take their seats and settle down for the class as she explained that all of the stations within her classroom would be open to explore so it did not matter if they crafted pottery out of her buckets of self harvest clay or continued with their watercoloring.

Once they were allowed, the children got up and headed over to whatever station they wanted to create at for the hour. Frisk pulled a bucket of macaroni noodles off the classroom's miscellaneous shelf, two bottles of glue, and picked out a canvas for Papyrus and them to work on.

"WHAT SHALL WE MAKE TODAY?" Papyrus tried to whisper as the serene sound of Mrs. Kedves' soundscapes flooded the room.

Frisk's hands moved with a grin.

"WE WILL REMAKE OUR VASE ANOTHER DAY THEN!"

Frisk nodded and their fingers flexed. They brought their hand around in a semi-circle over their chest and pointed their finger into their shoulder. They then dipped their hand forward from the side of their head and then did the same movement with two of their fingers, curled their fist and opened it slightly, and waved their hands up in the air over their head.

"NYEH! ONLY THE COOLEST PORTRAIT FOR THE COOLEST PAIR OF PALS!"

Nearly a full hour, several exceedingly long soundscapes, glue coated fingers, swipes of marker and noodles, and light splashes of glitter later Frisk and Papyrus were gazing down at a portrait of the two of them made out of pasta.

"WOWIE!" Papyrus and Frisk shared an ebullient high-five. "THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST THING THE TWO OF US HAVE CREATED YET!"

At the skeleton's exclamation Mrs. Kedves came over to see what the fuss was all about. She took one look at their artwork and her pearly whites flashed, satisfied by their work.

"What a lovely _oeuvre_ to add to your collection! If the two of you would like to take your masterpiece home, I have a frame that would fit it ever so nicely so it may be displayed as the true work of art that it is to all that enter your humble abode."

The bell rung signifying that class was over. With their newly framed creation in hand, Papyrus walked Frisk to gym class, Frisk's hands swirled and danced. Papyrus fought to keep up with all the motions, adding in bits here and there while Frisk recounted what Undyne had done during their class on Friday.

Once stepping into the gym, Undyne, who was helping MK tie their shoes, took one look at Papyrus and bounded over with a crazed grin.

"Fuhuhuhu!" She grabbed Papyrus and yanked him into her chest, driving her fist into the top of his skull.

"PLEASE DO NOT NOOGIE THE SKELETON."

Undyne ignored his protests and continued anyway. "You finally here to help out with class, nerd?"

"I WOULD ENJOY IT BUT ALAS, MY SHIFT STARTS IN THIRTY MINUTES," Papyrus clarified, more than happy to get away from the fish monster for once. "I WILL MAKE SURE THIS IS HUNG UP TONIGHT! GOODBYE, HUMAN, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO COME TO SCHOOL WITH YOU."

Frisk made a clockwise movement with two fingers that that spiraled up and then dropped down on the top of their right hand. They then waved their hand in goodbye and let Undyne hoist them up onto her shoulders.

"I hate to admit it, but I missed your dumb face, bestie," Undyne said. "Did you have fun with Pap?"

 _'_ _Yes._ _'_

"I guess you guys probably made something even cooler than the vase I broke, huh?"

Undyne set Frisk down next to MK and the two children greeted each other happily.

 _'_ _Way cooler!_ _'_ Frisk told Undyne, describing their artwork to the two monsters.

"Yo, that's sweet! Do you think we could make one sometime?" Monster Kid asked.

The two children were beginning to make plans when Undyne called the class together, instructing them to do their warm up stretches before they got on with class. Frisk and Kid sat down in a circle on the mats Undyne had set out and began stretching, Undyne leading the class and commanding those who couldn't touch their toes to look deep within themselves for the strength to and yelling encouragement at those who were still having trouble doing the somersaults they had been practicing all of last week.

"C'mon, nerds, this is easy peasy!"

To prove it, Undyne suplexed several giggling children into the plush mats just because she could.

"Time for my warmups! So, which one of you punks wants to get bench pressed first?! Line on up, I'm gonna do seven of ya at once this time!"

MK stepped up with shining eyes, overjoyed to be held along with six other children by his idol. Frisk, as usual, stood by Undyne and counted. Many of the children cheered. Several looked on warily, still terrified of their gym teacher.

Frisk supposed it was with good reason. Two weeks ago when Timmy Tucker got a basketball stuck in the basketball hoop, Undyne drew a glowing spear from midair and launched it straight across the gym, knocking the ball down by effectively deflating it. That was the first time the class had ever seen her use magic and it most likely wouldn't be the last.

"Alrighty!" Undyne threw the kids off of her and they fell onto the mat in a laughing heap. "Who's ready for some dodgeball?!"

* * *

After coming out victorious in a heated game of dodgeball, Frisk headed to their main classroom where they would spend the rest of the day. Their homeroom teacher was a soft spoken but firm woman who always took her students' best interests into the account. Frisk was recounting the time that Mrs. El-Hashem (although her students just called her Mrs. El) helped them out at recess as they entered their classroom and found their desks.

A howling gale in the shape of a woman blew into the class, a nagging wave of hot air sweeping through the entryway and filling room. Even though Frisk and MK continued on with their conversation, neither child could pull their eyes away from the stranger. Her hair was pulled so tightly up in a bun that it appeared her blonde hair was straining not to be ripped from her scalp. She wrote her name up on the chalkboard in looping—yet precise—cursive and turned to face the class, her icy eyes appraising the students before her.

Not Mrs. El paced in the front of the room, the clicking of her heels thunderous in the now noiseless classroom. She smoothed her hands down the front of her pinstripe blouse and navy blue pencil skirt and announced, "Hello, class, my name is Mrs. Evans, and I will be your teacher today."

Their curiosity swiftly got the best of them and Frisk raised their hand. The blonde woman's eyes fell on Frisk as the child wagged a finger, curled their hand so their pinky stuck up as they flicked it away from their lips, and then signed the letter 'e' followed by an 'l'.

"I don't—" Mrs. Evans began but MK cut in cheerfully.

"Yo! Frisk wants to know where Mrs. El is!" MK translated. Several students made noises of agreement. Frisk nodded and began to sign something else when the woman interjected.

"Then why doesn't she ask like a normal human being?" Not Mrs. El questioned in a sickly sweet voice.

Frisk's heart skipped a beat and they froze in mid gesture.

"Ah…" MK began to sweat visibly. "F-Frisk doesn't talk."

"So she's mute?"

Frisk flinched.

"No, _they_ _…_ they just don't—"

"Mrs. La-Sheema will be back sometime this week, hopefully," Mrs. Evans said, abruptly ending MK's explanation and completely butchering their usual teacher's last name. "Until then, I will be filling in for her. I'm going to briefly take attendance so if you could call your name when I call you, it would be most excellent.

"Ava Adams?"

"Here!"

"George Bennet?"

"Here!"

"Frisk Dreemurr?"

Frisk waved. Mrs. Evans pursed her lips, her stare turning frigid. Frisk shifted in their seat uncomfortably. Several of the monster kids shared a worried glimpses.

"Billy Evans?"

"Present!" Billy gave the blonde woman a simper.

"Naturally," Mrs. Evans said. "Jordan Edwards?"

Mrs. Evans went down the entire list, making sure to pause and sour her expression for every monster child that she called. When she at last was done she set down the roll call sheet on the desk and quickly skimmed over a small stack of papers. She shook her head and her mouth shrunk as if she was sucking on a lemon.

"Why don't you all pull out your math booklets and we'll get started. Today we'll be learning about subtraction and hopefully you'll—"

Frisk's hand shot up.

"Yes, err… _Frisk?_ _"_

 _'_ _We_ _'_ _re not working on subtraction, Mrs. El was teaching us patterns_ ,' Frisk corrected, closing off their sentence by making a pair of 'y's' and moving them in a dipping and rising horizontal line from left to right.

"Yo, Frisk's right, we're not working on subtraction, Mrs. Evans, we're supposed to be doing—"

"I've decided to change to plans for today because last time I checked, _I_ was the teacher not Miss Dreemurr," Mrs. Evans said in mock politeness.

 _'_ _But_ _—'_

"It's 20XX, we should be using our words, _not_ using our hands like animals."

Frisk faltered, but powered through, their hands trembling slightly. _'_ _But Mrs. El said that we weren_ _'_ _t ready for subtraction yet, Mrs. Evans._ _'_

"What was that? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you," Mrs. Evans sneered. "Now if there will be no more interrupt— _would you sit still?!_ _"_

Frisk's heart began to pound violently against their ribcage and hammer in their ears. The child gulped and finished their sign, motioning for MK to tell Mrs. Evans what they had said.

"Frisk wanted me to tell you that…that…"

Mrs. Evans' eye twitched. MK quickly lost their confidence and grew quiet.

"You are not to communicate for Miss Dreemurr anymore, do you understand?"

"It's not 'miss—'" a monster child in the back spoke up but they were subdued by a chilly glare.

"Whatever 'special snowflake' syndrome she has, she can grow up and get over it," Mrs. Evans snapped. The woman turned away and began to write numbers on the whiteboard.

"Now. I'm just going to evaluate how much you guys know. Can anyone tell me what thirty minus ten is?"

Frisk raised their hand, keen to prove themselves to the malicious substitute.

"Perhaps someone with intellectual capacity?" Mrs. Evans asked.

Frisk's face scrunched up. The child tried to take a deep breath but failed. Their insides began to agitate and shudders slithered up their spine. The small human's fist rapped on the edge of their desk and their leg wobbled. MK watched in stifled distress while the teacher tormented their friend who appeared as if they were starting to choke.

"It's ten!" Timmy blurted without raising his hand.

"Good guess, dear, but no. Anyone else?"

Even after being insulted Frisk kept their hand steady and sought to make eye contact. Mrs. Evans was avoiding them and called randomly on a human student even though Lucira, a blue rabbit shaped monster, had a paw raised.

"How about you, Ava?" Mrs. Evans inquired.

"I…I don't know."

Frisk refused to lower their hand, their fist striking the desk more rapidly.

"Mrs. Evans!" Timmy cried. "Frisk is distracting us!"

 _'_ _It_ _'_ _s twenty,_ _'_ Frisk signed with distraught gesticulations.

"What I don't seem to understand, Miss Dreemurr," Mrs. Evans began slowly, her voice seeping into Frisk's brain like poisoned honey, "is why you don't seem to grasp the concept that you are not allowed to answer questions until you stop acting like some sort of…of _freak of nature_ and actually _use your words._ "

Frisk balled up their fists and held them to their chest. The small child forced one free and their fingers moved to say that they were sorry but Mrs. Evans stopped them.

"You know what? Class, we're going to play a game called quiet hands. Do you know what that is?" Mrs. Evans proclaimed to the class. "Miss Dreemurr, until you can use your words, you'e going to place your hands beneath your lap. Go ahead, slide your hands underneath your legs."

Frisk obliged, immediately feeling extremely uncomfortable once their hands were squished beneath their thighs.

"Now, you're going to sit on your hands for the rest of the class or until you can speak up like your classmates. The rest of you, class, are going to tell me if Miss Dreemurr is no longer sitting on her hands. Understood?"

"M-Mrs. Evans," Lucira objected.

"Let's do some more examples, shall we?"

As Mrs. Evans worked on more subtraction problems with her students, Frisk sat on their hands, their body shaking. It felt as if their heart was pummeling the inside of their throat and hot tears stung their eyes, but they refused to cry. They felt immensely sick and a strange feeling in the pit of their stomach as if something was deeply wrong. The room was shrinking with ever passing minute.

Not able to sit still any longer, Frisk dragged their palms up and down their legs.

"Mrs. Evans! Frisk isn't sitting on their hands!" Timmy said angrily. "How am I supposed to learn anything if she keeps moving?!"

The blonde woman stormed over the the small child and grabbed their hands, shoving them under their legs. _"_ _Quiet. Hands._ I will not ask you again."

Frisk hated the feeling of Mrs. Evans grabbing them. Frisk hated that their anxiety was building up and up and threatening to explode out of them in a volcano of emotions. Their hands were vibrating and their heart was racing and they wanted to disappear and they wanted to scream and they felt hot and cold and sick and tiny and numb all at the same time and it was all their fault, it was all their fault—

Even though it was against the rules, Frisk began signing animatedly to MK, taking shuddering breaths. Mrs. Evans seized Frisk's hands once again but Frisk jerked them free and pressed a hand to their ear.

"Yo…y-y-you're making Frisk upset, M-Mrs. Evans…"

But Mrs. Evans had had enough. "I don't _care_ how your half-breed monster so-called _parents_ raised you, but in the real world, we humans listen and do what we're told. Until you can learn how to do that, get out of my classroom."

Frisk bit their lip, tears streaming down their cheeks. They desperately opened and closed their mouth, trying to come up with something to say but nothing happened. They tugged on their hair. Inside their head, Frisk called for help, for the Other, for the Friend, for Sans or Toriel or Papyrus or Undyne or Alphys or Asgore.

But nobody came.

Mrs. Evans looped a hand through the back of Frisk's overalls. While Frisk had been seeking help within their SOUL the wretch of a woman was writing something down on a pink slip. The woman shoved the paper into Frisk's hand and forced them to stand up, leading them to the door. Frisk gulped for air when the door closed behind them and they were alone in the hallway.

Head hung in shame, Frisk trudged to the office like the failure they felt. Time suddenly seemed nonexistent. They followed their shoes all the way there. They handed the pink slip to the secretary who instructed Frisk to sit on the bench outside of the principal's office.

"Hello, Mr…errr… _Femur_ is it? Yes, Frisk is alright, she has just received a pink slip from her substitute teacher today. Yes, yes, she's… _they_ _'_ _re_ fine, _they_ _'_ _re_ not hurt. Unfortunately, because of this, Frisk can't go back to class until sh—they…have have a meeting with a principal and a parent." The secretary scowled, appearing to be extremely annoyed. "No, she can't, she's currently teaching her class so you will have to come in."

The secretary glanced at the small human who was rocking as they sat on the bench, their lungs screaming and hands glued over their ears. The older woman continued with a frown.

"Well, she's a little upset about getting in trouble but otherwise she's fine. If you could—alright sir, see you soon."

When the secretary hung up, the child made a small noise in the back of their throat. The woman tsked, harshly reminding the small brunette they had to be quiet. Frisk wanted so badly to go to Toriel's classroom, to run to their mom and go home and eat butterscotch cinnamon pie and curl up on the couch and watch movies and…and…

"alright, i'm here, what seems to be the…hey, kiddo, what's wrong?"

Sans hurried into the office in some kind of IT uniform, his name tag crookedly pinned on the front of his shirt. Frisk guessed he took one of his shortcuts to get there so quickly only after being called a few minutes ago. At the sight of him, Frisk sucked in a shaky breath and dissolved into fresh tears. Their rocking became more intense and their fingers wound tight in their hair. Their body felt like an earthquake, their eyes a typhoon.

"what's wrong, what's happened? shh…shh…it's alright, frisk, c'mon, get over here. you've got a one way ticket to hug town."

Frisk cried loudly into Sans' chest, their body racking with sobs.

"'a little upset' huh?" The secretary shuddered as he quoted her, the light leaving his eyes. "you said Frisk was alright."

"The principal would like the meet with you now," the secretary managed to squeak.

Sans helped Frisk sit back down on the bench and said, "heya, squirt, i'll be right back, okay? dunkle sans is just gonna talk with the principal and we'll make like a banana and **split** , got it?"

Frisk raised their hands in response, their signing incomprehensible they were frenetic and shaking so hard.

"i know you don't wanna wait, kid, but we'll have to calm down first before we sign stuff, okay? there ya go." Sans ruffed up their hair and Frisk sniffed, inclining their head in a slight nod and giving him a watery smile.

Sans took a deep breath and strolled into the principal's office. He slumped down into one of the chairs, put his hands behind his skull, and kicked back. He was careful to hide his rapidly building anger beneath his leisurely movements.

The principal—a tall, all business type of guy—folded his hands on his desk at the sight of the skeleton.

"Right. So. I presume you must be Frisk's…guardian? I'm Gerald Smith."

The principal extended his hand but Sans didn't take it. His eyes were closed and he was grinning.

"yup. that's me. i'm sans, sans the skeleton. nice to meetcha."

Smith cleared his throat and studied the pink slip. "So, we've called you here today to talk about Frisk's behavior. According to their substitute, they were very disruptive to the other students by constantly waving their hands around and refused to listen to directions when told to speak. Mr. Femur, children who cannot listen or cooperate certainly don't belong in the classroom. I'm not sure what monsters teach their children, but if you plan on raising Frisk, she has to abide to human standards. This whole 'crying to get out of homework' thing is not an irregularity. I'm not sure on what you have been informed of, but this is _not_ how we do things on the Surface. I suggest if you are going to live up here, your race needs to start conforming to these standards we have laid out. Children don't get to do whatever they want."

"ah. so we're gonna do this thing again." Sans sighed. "as i'm sure toriel explained to you, frisk doesn't like to talk. if you would have actually done your job and read your paperwork, well, you would have seen the stuff we filed with the rcpd. as you can see, gerald, frisk would have no choice but to _not_ listen to directions because, for…ah...what is this? the third time? _frisk doesn_ _'_ _t talk._ and now my kid is not only missing class but is having an anxiety attack, which, once again, you would know about if you had read their papers, because of your and your staff's ignorance."

"Just because your child doesn't know how to act like a child, doesn't mean you can lay blame on my staff, Mr. Femur. It would be yours and Mrs. Dreemurr's incapability to raise her properly."

Sans huffed and his grin slowly began to grow. He rubbed his forehead and calmed the increasing cadence in his SOUL.

"hehehe...i've had a _really_ long day and it's only what? eleven o'clock? didn't even get to take my midmorning nap. the last thing i need right now are you guys threatening to kick my kid out of school for something that they can't control _and_ calling tori a bad mom. buddy…in short…if this keeps happening, well, to put it simply…you're gonna have a bad time."

Smith opened his mouth to respond but Sans briefly cut him off.

"so. let's just get to the point. you know, it's a beautiful day outside. kids are laughing, birds are singing…you wanna hear a joke?"

"Mr. Femur—"

"knock knock."

Smith was taken aback. He tried again. "Mr. Femur—"

The door slammed shut and Sans eyes opened to reveal dark, empty sockets. The skeleton's grin widened. The principal found himself unable to pull his eyes away. It was like staring into an unforgiving abyss.

 **"** **knock knock.** **"**

"W-Who's there?"

* * *

Frisk had finally began to calm down when Sans exited the principal's office. The skeleton swung his arm around Frisk's shoulders and smiled.

"so, kiddo, how does grillby's sound?"

The human smiled.

* * *

 **Okie dokie so thank you to everyone who is still continuing to read, it makes me so super happy! After stressing about exams all week it was nice to take a break and write this chapter :) I think I caught all of the little errors in this chapter but I'll make a second round tonight after physiology.**

 **-Sav**


	4. ENCOUNTER!: PTA Pt 1

_They sat at the bar in Grillby_ _'_ _s, Frisk recounting what exactly had happened in class to Sans and Grillby. Between signs they gave their milkshake dispirited swirls. The whole time the two monsters read Frisk_ _'_ _s signs, Sans was cool and unresponsive, wearing a deadpan. Grillby silently polished a glass, crackling softly._

 _'_ _And then..._ _and then she made me sit on my hands,_ _'_ _Frisk finished with a grimace._ _'_ _I..._ _I really don_ _'_ _t like it, Sans, it makes me feel sick. She..._ _she called it quiet hands a-and_ _—'_

 _"_ _You don_ _'_ _t have to go on if you don_ _'_ _t want to, Frisk,_ _"_ _Grillby told them gently._

 _Fresh tears escaped Frisk_ _'_ _s eyes and flowed down the child_ _'_ _s cheeks. They didn_ _'_ _t look up from the dessert Sans had bought them._ _'_ _I tried to ask MK for help, to go get Mom or Undyne, and I tried to tell the teacher that it wasn_ _'_ _t nice she kept calling you and Mom mean names and I just didn_ _'_ _t want her to talk bad about you guys anymore. But she kept grabbing my hands and then she held onto my overalls and made me leave the classroom and..._ _and..._ _'_

 _As soon as Frisk mentioned the sub touching them, Sans_ _'_ _face darkened, his left eye pulsating between blue and yellow. Unfortunately, while trying to reel the furious surge of magic back into his SOUL, the skeleton_ _'_ _s hands tightened around the ketchup bottle he was holding, spraying the condiment all over the bar._

 _"_ _fu_ _—"_ _Sans caught himself and cautiously released his death grip._ _"_ _fudge. sorry grill._ _"_

 _Grillby shook his head as if to say it wasn_ _'_ _t a big deal and he set down his glass and began cleaning off the counter._

Sans opened his eyes and adjusted slightly.

"tori."

The goat monster beside him, who had been skimming a book on human education, glanced up from her text with a small, "Hm?"

The pair had been relaxing in bed when Sans finally worked up the courage to talk about the events that had occurred that day. After picking up Frisk early from school, taking the kid to lunch, and bringing them back home where they promptly napped from post anxiety exhaustion, Sans had sat for most of the day trying to figure out what to do when Toriel came home. She would have been alerted during lunch what had happened to her kid, wouldn't she? She would know what Sans had told the principal. Would she kick him out of his own house? Or would she be the one to pack up and leave? He couldn't stand the thought of her being disappointed in him, it only made him feel even worse than usual.

She had been unusually quiet and even more loving on Frisk once she got home. Toriel went straight to where Frisk had fallen asleep on the couch and held them for a long time. She then made them butterscotch and cinnamon pie, talking to Frisk when they lacked the their usual eagerness to converse. She hadn't spoken much to Sans the entire evening so he spent most of it doing tedious calculations in his lab to try to pass the time and compose himself.

But if she had been the one to retrieve Frisk from school, to see them at the verge of a mental breakdown, surely she would have reacted the same way.

"Sans, I—"

"i'm not sure what they told you about what happened to frisk at school today, but it was bad, tori. you gotta know that much. they don't usually call one of us unless it's gettin' bad."

"Sans—"

Sans sat up on one of his arms and went on. "so, please, don't be mad at me that i pulled them out for the day. you shoulda seen how upset the kid was. that rotten sub—"

" _Sans_. It's alright, I wanted to thank you earlier for getting Frisk but I didn't know how. I'm so terribly for not speaking with you, I just...I just wanted to make sure Frisk was alright first. I mean, yes, it might have been a little over the line to tell the principal that if he 'kept talking shit he wasn't going to have enough mouth left to wear dentures,' and it certainly wasn't the most eloquent, but I..." Toriel suddenly chuckled. "I _appreciate_ how protective you are even when others **rattle your bones**."

The skeleton blinked in astonishment. That went a lot better than he expected it to.

"well, i was gonna apologize first, but it looks like you **bleat** me too it."

They both laughed until San's usual grin faded.

"tori? i...i lost one of my jobs today."

Toriel's expression softened. "I'm so sorry Sans."

"nah, it's alright don't worry 'bout it. i'd drop any job if you or pap or the kid needed me. i'll find another one." Sans shrugged, his expression starting to sour. "it wasn't worth all the trouble. i'm glad to get out of there. it's just that...just that if any human had to leave to go pick up their kid? no problem, bud, you've got the rest of the day off. no worries! but _i_ ask to leave to go get frisk because they're gettin' harassed at school and suddenly it's against the rules? i'm not allowed? if i leave i get _fired?_ it's bullshit, tori. the pay was crap and i made less money to the dollar than any minimum wage human was makin' there. good riddance."

It wasn't the first job he had lost since getting above the Underground and he knew it wouldn't be the last. The first time he asked to leave early and was punished for it was Papyrus got stuck in a baby swing at the park. To save his brother the embarrassment, he came to yank him out instead of calling the fire department for him. Papyrus swore that he and Frisk were just playing a game and not to think less of him and Sans promised he wouldn't, shaking it off just like he did whenever he and Frisk collaborated (for example, the meticulously made macaroni art of the two of them flexing while wearing intricately made sunglasses that was now hanging in the hallway). No matter what he did, Sans always was a step behind his brother and Frisk as if anything they did together was some extensive and incomprehensible puzzle. Somehow that described the unpredictability of Papyrus's life perfectly.

"frisk's alright now and that's what matters. i'll pick up another job easy peasy. how else are we gonna get away from our psycho landlord?"

"Are you sure you're alright?"

The skeleton pasted on a smile and a wink. "yeah. i'm just **bone** -tired. you've gotta be worse of than me taking care of rugrats all day, tor. why don't we hit the **hay**?"

Toriel laughed in agreement and set her glasses and book down on the bedside table. She turned off the lamp and the two settled in for the night. In the darkness Toriel turned toward him and uttered, "Are you busy tomorrow after Frisk gets out of school?"

Sans ran through the mental schedule of the things he had set out for tomorrow before realizing he was generally too lazy to make plans so he decided to forgo the whole "organization" thing.

"nah."

"If I may be so bold, may I ask you a favor?"

At the seriousness of her voice Sans nodded. "yeah, 'course, tori."

"Tomorrow is the Parent-Teacher Association meeting for Frisk's class and unfortunately, I cannot go; I have to meet with a few parents after class is done for the day. If it is not too much trouble, would you mind sitting in for me? I assure you, you do not have to do anything except maybe take some notes of what is being planned. It should not take more than an hour, perhaps forty-five minutes at most."

"ah, what the heck. i s'pose so."

Fatigue soon overcame the both of them and Sans, as usual, was more than happy to go to sleep. For the first night after a weeks worth of nightmares, Sans dreamt of nothingness, of dark star speckled skies and heavens that glowed bright.

(That was until a soft tap woke him from his slumber. He turned to make out Frisk in the dark and they grabbed on tight to the front of his shirt. Careful not to wake Toriel, Sans helped the child up into the bed and Sans lay awake in the gloom, a crying child that was curled in on themselves pulled tight to his chest.)

* * *

Sans wasn't a huge fan of being on time. Punctuality had never been his strong suit. It wasn't because he was too lethargic to get up and do stuff, but he felt as if a strong awkwardness ensued if one was too early to something and definitely if one's arrival was too belated. Fashionably late was more of his kind of jig. It was much better to skip right past the uncomfortable smalltalk and sneak into the event when no one was looking.

Figuring out how to take "shortcuts" made his tardiness even worse. Why take the time to head over to where he needed to be when he could be there in an instant?

The next day, Sans had to be regrettably early. He entered Frisk's school just as the school bell rang to signal the end of the day. He traversed his way through the waves of children that flooded into the hallway from their classrooms. The skeleton scoured the corridor to find Frisk standing by their locker with another human child and a red reptilian looking monster with a set of just budding horns, the two humans signing back and forth to one another.

"hey, kid," Sans greeted, approaching the two children. "what's up?"

 _'_ _The sky!_ _'_ Frisk signed. The monster kid laughed, his mouth forming a grin around his lateral incisors and canines (which were much longer than normal and both sets ended in a sharp point like the tip of a blade).

"so they can understand you, huh?"

 _'_ _These are my friends!_ _'_ Frisk rocked back and forth on the balls of their feet excitedly. _'_ _This is Amelia and her brother Olympio._ _'_

Sans waved to the the other human, a redhead with a face splattered with freckles, and the monster kid. "hiya."

The redhead tugged on the back of the pale blue dress Frisk was wearing. The kid had kept it and their bow pretty clean throughout the day (Toriel had just bought it and the new bow for them and they had been excited to wear the outfit to school) although the same couldn't be said for their bright yellow rain boots. They were flecked with mud from the playground.

 _'_ _She can_ _'_ _t hear you._ _'_

"ah, got it." Sans raised his hands and said, _'_ _i_ _'_ _m sans. nice to meet you._ _'_

The little girl gave him a big smile as soon as she realized the older monster could communicate with her, revealing that she was missing two front teeth. Sans fought back a grimace at the peculiar sight.

' _I_ _'_ _m Amelia._ _'_

Olympio's batlike wings fluttered self-consciously and one of his clawed fingers pulled at a thread on the sleeve of his blue turtleneck. "You can just call me Olly if ya want to."

 _'_ _i hate to be the one to break up this little powwow but we_ _'_ _ve got a pta meeting to go to, squirt._ _'_

"Oh our mommy is going to one of those!" Olly's wings stretched happily. Frisk translated to Amelia while her brother spoke.

 _'_ _Daddy_ _'_ _s picking us up though. We_ _'_ _re going to the movies!_ _'_ Amelia said.

"She said we could go to the next one though! That's him over there. See you, Frisk!"

The two raced off toward a burly human male who was wading through he sea of children, the man scooping the two children up into his arms and showering them with kisses before heading to the school's exit.

 _'_ _They_ _'_ _re really nice,_ _'_ Frisk said.

"yeah?"

 _'_ _I like them a lot._ _'_

"that's great, frisk. it's hard not to like a cool kid such as yourself."

Frisk slipped their hand into Sans' and gave the skeleton a SOUL warming smile, one so genuine that Sans could feel his cheekbones glow blue. Even thought it probably wasn't as comfortable as holding Toriel's or Undyne's hand, Sans appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

"heh. i'm happy to see you too, kiddo."

As the children left with their parents or moved out onto the playground, the crowded subsided almost completely. Together Sans and Frisk headed toward the classroom where the PTA meeting was being held, Sans following Toriel's directions on how to get there. Although there weren't numbers outside the door so he could only navigate by the teacher's flags hanging above the doors alone, the small banner hanging across the doorway that read _PARENT-TEACHER ASSOCIATION_ was easy to detect.

The meeting was being hosted in a kindergarten classroom. Haphazard—but still cute, Sans supposed—decorations made by tiny hands were strung from the ceilings, alphabet charts and animal themed number boards hung nicely on the walls. The collection of parents was still gathering and they were milling about and chatting. Children that had tagged along with their parents were starting to head off toward the gym to play. Sans asked Frisk if they wanted to go with them but the kid declined and tugged at his jacket, wanting to stay with him. Sans shrugged and glimpsed up at the clock. The meeting was not yet in session and he still had ten minutes of small talk to power through. Oh boy.

The room became oddly quiet as if someone had hushed the humans within the small classroom. Frisk's grip constricted around his fingers nervously. A pair of women, one with mouse-colored hair fashioned in a type of unflattering bob (the haircut screamed "can I speak with a manager") and the other a blonde with her hair in a tight bun. The blonde appraised them icily and muttered something behind her hand to the other.

"Can I help you?"

Sans followed the direction of the vexed voice piercing his skull to his left and found himself facing an adult was sitting at a table with a list and a pile of name tags in front of her. There was a set of identical twins next to her, both with their hair in pigtails. One of them waved. She had a small box clipped to her pants.

"yeah, uh, i'm here for the meeting?" Sans responded.

"A skeleton?" The woman tsked with a scoff. "This is a _Parent-_ Teacher Association. _Not_ a Great Great _Grandparent_ -Teacher Association."

Sans scowled, processing if that had actually just come out of her mouth. Did Toriel put up with this kind of crap every meeting? He felt Frisk tense up and their hand spasm. Sans took in the female's cheap sweater, tacky, fake pearls, and read her name tag before brightening up with a chuckle.

"hehehehe, oh!" Sans said with mock cheerfulness, writing his name down on the sign-in sheet and on a name tag, pasting it on the front of his jacket. "i see what you mean, diana. we're in the same boat, i guess. you know, your make up is _really_ convincing. but in reality, you're probably just a…" he winked, the horror on her face earning her a shit-eating grin, " **dianasaur**."

The woman's eyes widened and she seemed as if she was about to release an unholy screech between her gritted teeth. The daughter who waved appeared bemused but then laughed once she got the joke.

"there are children here," Sans reminded, holding his wink and strolling with Frisk to a nearby table. He felt rather proud of himself. Frisk asked if everything was going to be alright. Sans signed back not to worry and pulled out a few pieces of paper and crayons from his inventory, handing them to Frisk as he surveyed the room. For whatever reason the blonde woman from before appeared agitated.

"this should help ya pass the time, kiddo," Sans assured. "hey, why was the painting arrested? because it was **framed**."

Frisk giggled.

"It's time to start!"

The blonde and brunette stopped their whispering and listened to the redhead who had made the announcement, claiming seats near the head of the circle. The blonde continued to burn holes into the side of his skull.

It was going to be a long meeting.

* * *

Sans was more than ready to leap straight into death's waiting arms, to somersault right into the void and embrace nonexistentness as an old friend. Could one die of boredom? Sans sure hoped so. He only had 1 HP, it wouldn't take much. He would have gladly ripped off the whole section of arm below his elbow joint and thrown it at Gloria if it would have gotten her to just _shut up_.

The woman was rambling on and on about how she was disappointed in the school's lack of fundraisers and how whenever they did, the prizes weren't nearly good enough for her beloved son and all the hard work he did. To make it worse, her maddening, whining drone prevented Sans from snoozing through her whole spiel. He had been forced to listen blearily and try his hardest not to be driven insane. It was the worst kind of torture imaginable.

Frisk had made it through three drawings during the entirety of the story (the first a rather impressive doodle of Papyrus with little pink hearts around him, the second of Undyne dressed as her favorite anime princess, and the other a little monster in a green sweater he had never seen before) and the human was currently working on a picture of Lesser Dog and Greater Dog playing in the snow. They were sketching out a the round base of the snowdog Lesser Dog was making (or a giant snow decahedron? Sans wasn't sure.) with expert precision. The tip of the child's tongue stuck out of the corner of their mouth as they concentrated.

Sans was about ready to beg Frisk for some crayons when Gloria finally stopped talking. A sensation of utter bliss washed over him. He thought he could hear a choir singing in the background.

"Erm...thank you, Gloria. We'll keep that in mind the next fundraiser the grade has," the redhead monotoned. She rubbed her eyes and bit back a yawn. "Anyway, on the agenda for today is the discussion on the school's meal plan that was tabled last time. The cafeteria workers would like to know if we have any ideas on how to expand upon or add to the choices currently offered."

A father, who had been blatantly not paying attention during Gloria's story, said, "I think it's fine the way it is, I make a motion to end the me—"

"I say we _must_ do something about the general unhealthiness of the school's current dietary program," the blonde woman from before broke in loudly. Her name tag read _Linda._ Did all the parents have white suburban mom names? "Frankly, the lack of organic, gluten free lunches is concerning. And the dessert bar that's offered? We _must_ find sugar free alternatives. My poor Billy is constantly complaining of a sore stomach if he ever had the misfortune of eating anything this school provides."

Sans really didn't want to get involved. He was just here to take notes on whatever the committee decided. He really just wanted slide under the table and take a nap while no one was looking. For whatever reason he began to feel disappointment when Linda's mouse-haired sidekick and Diana nodded in agreement.

To Sans' surprise Frisk's hand slowly rose in the air. All the adults had their eyes on them. They then tentatively signed that there were always fruits and vegetables provided with school lunches so they had to be healthy.

"This conversation is for adults, sweetie," Linda jeered in mock politeness. "Besides, no one can understand you."

Sans was going to get involved.

"i don't see why frisk can't contribute. it's their school too," Sans remarked irritably. "they just wanted to let you know that they're served plenty of fruits and vegetables with their meals, so they don't understand why you would think the school lunches to be unhealthy."

Linda plowed on, although she seemed a bit perturbed that the monster had spoke up.

"Excuse me, but who are you?"

So now she was going to belittle him? Sans was going to need to talk to Toriel about her attending future PTA meetings if they were all going to go like this.

"i'm sans. sans the skeleton. and, just like the rest of you, i've got every right to be here." He really wanted to add that he didn't actually want to be with the rate the meeting was going.

Linda's lips folded into a fine line. "Honestly, I wasn't sure if you had the right to be. This is the Parent-Teacher Association. I'm not exactly sure what brings you here then seeing as you are neither."

His SOUL thrummed and magic boiled in his tightening bones. Huh. He had almost forgotten what anger felt like.

"because you obviously haven't noticed, frisk is _my_ kid," Sans began and Frisk flashed him a look of pure incredulity (were their eyes watering?), "they're why i'm here today because their other parent, Mrs. Dreemurr, a _teacher_ at this school, couldn't make it. like it or not, i'm here for the same reason the rest of you are: because i have a greater interest in the school and how we can make it a better place and learning environment for our children. so, if you could do us all a favor and broaden your narrow little view of the world and move past the fact that i'm a monster with a child that _isn_ _'_ _t_ a monster, but a human being who deserves the same respect and kindness that any of the rest of you deserve and that your precious billy deserves, that would be absolutely fan-freaking-tastic. capiche?"

Linda's sidekick was trying to pick her jaw up from the floor but was failing. Diana had paled. Gloria looked like a fish out of water. Linda's face had flushed scarlet. Everyone was staring at him. The father from before gave him a slow clap.

Sans hadn't even realize he had stood up. He really hated expending energy on people that weren't worth it.

"Be frank with me," Linda tried as she reassembled her shattered pride. She too rose to her feet. "Do you find the lack of vegan choices concerning?"

Frisk's hands waved. The child was attempting to tell Linda something.

"ok, but how can i be frank with you if i'm sans?"

Frisk continued to sign.

Linda flushed further. "Bear with me, here—"

The skeleton felt himself begin to smirk. "i see no bears with you, linda."

Linda looked like she was going to asphyxiate. She felt like she was being double-teamed. Her gaze darted between Frisk and Sans.

"You must not then by the state of your child. It sickens me to think of all the GMOs she must have consumed to act this way."

Sans glowered at the blonde suspiciously. The palpitations in his SOUL intensified. "what are you tryin' to say, lady?"

Out of the corner of his eye socket Frisk began to flex their hands. One anxiously groped for the side of their head.

"It's clear now that she—" Linda gestured dramatically to the child who stiffened.

" _they_ ," Sans interjected. "frisk is uncomfortable identifying as either a boy or a girl because they don't feel themselves to be either. i really don't care whether or not you agree, but at least be courteous of my kid's choice."

"That _she_ _—_ " Linda persisted with a sneer, stressing the pronoun. Frisk's signing increased rapidly. "—is not being raised by responsible and caring parents if you are going to bring her up to act like some kind of wild animal, feeding her autism causing GMOs by the state of her behavior, letting her flap her hands around to speak instead of using her words like a normal human being, letting her dress herself improperly so her clothes don't match, and not letting her hair grow out and keeping trimmed as the rat's nest it is. For the love of God the adults are talking! Would you just use _quiet hands_."

Frisk made a small noise of distress and stuffed their hands underneath them as soon as Linda placed a firm hand on their shoulder, her manicured nails digging into the Frisk's flesh. The child desperately fought to stay still and to keep their tears from overflowing. It took a second for Sans to register exactly what was happening and for realization to dawn upon him.

So Linda was the sub from hell.

The skeleton's eye flickered and he slowly straightened up, his hands clenching into fists when he pulled them from his pockets. They were crackling with magic, the spaces where his ligaments were supposed to be lighting up like a thunderstorm. He locked eyes with Linda, his emotions moving right past frustration and straight into dunk town. Linda pried her hand off of Frisk and her chin inclined. In that moment, never before had he wanted to lay into someone so badly, to draw up a wall of bones and tear them limb from limb, to summon a Gaster Blaster and obliterate the she-devil off the face of the planet. How dare she make Frisk feel like they were worthless. How dare she grab his kid in order to get them to stop moving. How dare she have the nerve to do it while he was sitting right there and expect him to say nothing about it.

"heh…heh heh…hehehe…aw, frisk, kiddo, why don't you come with me for a second?"

The small child wrung their hands and got to their feet. They shook as they gathered up their drawings and crayons. Sans threw an arm around them to hold them steady. With the other he grabbed the nearest child sized desk (the chair attached to the base was actually useful for once) and steered Frisk out into the hallway, the legs of the desk squealing as he dragged it behind him.

"did she hurt you?"

Frisk shook their head.

"hey, kiddo, everything's gonna be alright," Sans whispered encouragingly. He rubbed his hands up and down Frisk's arms. "you wanna stop on the way home and get another milkshake? you can even wear my jacket for 5g."

Frisk shook their head again and sniffled. They wiped at their eyes with the side of their hand.

 _'_ _Why aren_ _'_ _t people nice to me? What did I do wrong?_ _'_

If Sans had a heart, it surely would have broken. Instead, his SOUL puckered and gave a sorrowful throb.

"it ain't you, kid. it's 'cuz adults like linda take sadistic pleasure in tormenting others," Sans explained.

 _'_ _I don_ _'_ _t know what that means._ _'_

"because some people are real stupid doodoo butts."

The human mustered up a smile. Sans patted their head.

"why don't you sit out here for the rest of the meeting and finish your pictures? i'll go make sure linda knows that quiet hands isn't allowed anymore. and then we can go home and you can show pap what you made. i'm sure he's gonna love it."

Frisk made an "o" and a "k" with their hand. They began to color.

"Thanks Sans," came Frisk's soft voice when he had started to move back to the classroom. His SOUL stumbled.

Not even bothering to walk back through the door like a normal adult, Sans twisted in-between planes and cut back to his seat, one leg crossed over the other and his hands in his pockets. He leaned back in his chair and Gloria gave a yip of shock, the parents next to him nearly leaping up at his sudden reappearance.

"i could go on and on and waste everyone's time here but i'm not gonna pull a gloria since there are only eight minutes left and i can finally go home," Sans began. "firstly, i don't know what they are teaching you humans up here, but there is no known single cause for autism spectrum disorder, but it is generally accepted that it is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. brain scans show differences in the shape and structure of the brain in children with autism compared to in neurotypical children. furthermore, researchers do not know the exact cause of autism but to my understanding are investigating a number of theories, including the links among heredity, genetics, and parental age, pre-and perinatal complications among other things. whatever caused you to believe that you can suddenly gain autistic tendencies by consuming food with gluten in it is false and perhaps the source of your conceit and presumptuous ways. if you're gonna be against gmos, you sure don't seem concerned about the gmo made insulin being pumped daily into diana's kid. don't look so shocked, lady, i have a human kid and i intend not to raise them blindly. it would be stupid of me not to know how humans worked and then expect myself to help raise one.

"secondly, frisk isn't autistic. and even if they were, i would love them regardless. it's hard to say the same thing about you because, seeing the way you just treated my child, you obviously don't have a heart. i don't care if you can't stand that frisk would rather communicate through sign language than by talking, but you're going to learn to tolerate it. and you're never gonna treat frisk or any other kid in this school like you just treated them, got it? unlike you, we monsters care more about our kids and their needs than whatever kind of godforsaken popularity contest that is happening in this school.

"long story short, you ever touch my kid again..." Sans gave Linda a menacing grin. He didn't care if he was gonna hear it from Toriel later. He needed to make sure that Linda wasn't going to mess with his kid again. "i will surgically attach your feet to your ass."

"YEAH!"

The exhausted dad from before pumped a fist in the air. The bags under his eyes were almost nonexistent in his act of enthusiasm. He then became abashed and began to count floor tiles.

"are we done here?"

The meeting was quickly adjourned.

* * *

 **Your reviews didn't make me cry at all I just caught something in my eye. Credit for the Dianasaur joke goes to sharktunarts at tumblr dot com. It was too good not to use!**

 **-Sav**


	5. Connect Four

_Frisk shook their head and extended their arms. Sans, who had been in the middle of an extremely incorrect sign, stopped what he was doing and froze in the middle of the current motion he was making. The child gently took Sans hand and moved his thumb to the side of the fist he was making. Then they guided his hand back to the front of his hand, tucked it under his pointer and middle finger, and then pulled it back to to rest on his knuckles._

 _'_ _S-A-N-S,_ _'_ _the little human spelled out slowly on their own as an example._

 _'_ _s-a-n-s,_ _'_ _the skeleton copied. He pointed to himself, clunked his bone fingers together in a cross, and made the letter_ _'_ _s_ _'_ _, moving it away from his torso._ _'_ _my name is s-a-n-s._ _'_

 _The child nodded._

 _'_ _your name is f-r-i-s-k._ _'_

 _Although Frisk wasn't the best at reading, they had most of the page numbers in the_ _"_ _Introduction to Sign Language_ _"_ _text that the orphanage kept in the lounge bookcase memorized. The child opened up to the passage about name short cuts, pointing to the pictures for Sans._

 _"_ _so if you_ _'_ _re too lazy like me to sign out your whole name, you can make a symbol for yourself?_ _"_

 _Frisk rolled their eyes at the too lazy part but still smiled nevertheless. They then tapped the tip of their finger on the part where the person signing had to use the first letter of the person_ _'_ _s name in the motion._

 _'_ _You are Sans._ _'_ _Frisk made the letter_ _'_ _s' with their hand and drew it over their mouth as if tracing a grin._

 _"_ _oh, gotcha. what_ _'_ _s yours, kiddo?_ _"_

 _Frisk thought hard. No one had ever bothered to give their name a sign and Frisk had never given themselves one. The child_ _'_ _s face fell and they shrugged._

 _"_ _hey, it_ _'_ _s alright kid. i_ _'_ _ll think of one for ya, how does that sound?_ _"_

 _Frisk tapped their feet excitedly._

"you alright back there, kiddo?"

Frisk's fingers twitched but they didn't reply. The child was busy looking out the car window, tracing the paths of raindrops rolling down the glass with their eyes. Their breath caught in their throat but they pushed it through and continued to breathe even though something dark in the back of their brain wasn't sure if they wanted to.

"i'm sorry about what happened at the meeting, kid, i really am."

Frisk was sorry for nearly everything that had occurred too. The exception was what had happened as the fight had been beginning the brew, something that stole the air from the child's lungs and filled them to the brim with something they couldn't describe, something warm and foreign, something they had only experienced when they were in Toriel's embrace.

"are ya sure you don't want a milkshake or somethin'? i can turn back round."

The child shook their head.

 _"_ _so, kid. ah..._ _do the humans usually treat kids like that on the surface?_ _"_

 _Frisk chewed on their lip. It was their third day back at the orphanage and Sans had arrived shortly after they had woken up. Since their lesson the day before the skeleton had progressed rapidly as if he had spent the whole night studying. Papyrus was talking with some other children who were waiting for visitors that would never come. Frisk wasn_ _'_ _t sure exactly how to respond. It wasn_ _'_ _t out of the ordinary for them to be dragged around and berated by someone no matter where they ended up at. But not all kids were treated like Frisk was in the orphanage. The ones who didn_ _'_ _t stay long, the ones who got adopted the fastest, were usually the favorites._

 _Frisk shrugged. They avoided Sans_ _'_ _stare._

 _'_ _Not all the kids,_ _'_ _Frisk signed slowly in order for Sans to understand. They did the motions again incase the monster missed anything the first time around._

 _'_ _why do you say that?_ _'_

The car pulled into the driveway and Sans parked. He took the keys out of the ignition and grabbed Toriel's umbrella that was sitting in the front seat. Sans hopped out of the car, opened the umbrella, and moved around to Frisk's side of the car. He opened the door and held out his hand, helping Frisk out of the car and under the cover. The two of them walked to their home, Frisk hugging themselves with their head bowed and Sans watching them carefully.

"pap isn't home yet. it's just your mom and i, kiddo," Sans said as they were kicking their shoes off in the breezeway. The skeleton stepped into his slippers and hung the umbrella up on Toriel's hook. "you know you can tell us anything if something's bothering you."

The human's hands shook. They headed into the living room in search for their mom. The only thing they wanted was a hug from Toriel, they just wanted to crawl into her lap and bury themselves in her arms and breathe her in and calm their racing heart and not feel like the world was spinning out of control and it was all their fault—

"Why hello, Frisk," their mother greeted. Frisk immediately pulled themselves up onto her knee. She was sitting in her armchair by the window. Ever since emerging from the Underground, the monster liked to be as close to fresh air as possible.

Frisk's heart stumbled, tripping over it's own beat and plummeting into their stomach. Their little hands tightened around Toriel's shirt. A small noise escaped the back of their throat.

"What is it, my child?" Toriel inquired. The monster brushed Frisk hair back from their face where it had fallen out from being pinned back and unclipped their bow from their hair. She pulled the blanket that had been draped over her legs up around the human. "What ever is the matter?"

"let's just say that some humans don't know how to play nice," Sans said. He plopped down on the couch and took in the two of them. He rubbed a hand over his skull and tugged at his jacket, stuffing his hands into it's pockets.

"My child, what happened? What is wrong?"

The human gathered their courage and they resolved to finally speak up.

"S-Sans?"

The skeleton's eye sockets elevated with surprise. "yeah? what's up?"

 _'_ _You..._ _you called me your kid._ _'_

Sans hands tightened in his jacket and a faint blue stained his cheekbones. "oh yeah. that. uh...you're...hehe...you're not mad, are ya kiddo? i didn't mean to embarrass you. even though i don't have any, linda was really starting to **get under my skin**. hehe."

 _'_ _hi, kid, how are you today?_ _'_ _Sans signed, startling Frisk who had been expecting the skeleton to speak._ _'_ _t-o-r-i-e-l,_ _'_ _Sans spelled out, then making a motion with the letter_ _'_ _t_ _'_ _as if he was turning the pages of a book,_ _'_ _will be here in a few hours. she is talking to some human leaders._ _'_

 _Frisk_ _'_ _s eyes were wide. Sans grinned at their reaction._

 _'_ _i_ _'_ _ve been practicing._ _'_

 _'_ _You_ _'_ _re doing good!_ _'_ _Frisk encouraged._

 _'_ _thank you, f-r-i-s-k._ _'_ _Sans then made the letter_ _'_ _f_ _'_ _and moved it over his chest in the shape of a heart._

 _Frisk threw themselves into Sans arms._

To Sans bewilderment (and their own), Frisk started crying.

"aw, kid, don't cry, c'mon, i didn't mean to make you so upset," Sans began to plead.

 _'_ _I_ _'_ _m not mad,_ _'_ Frisk signed.

"you're not?"

 _'_ _No one has ever called me that. Only Mom._ _'_

"What ever do you mean, my child?" Toriel asked gently. Her SOUL contracted. "I'm touched, but didn't your...erm... _human_ parents claim you as her own?"

Frisk wrung their hands. It was hard to remember their mother, but what they did remember was that when Frisk was allowed to talk, their mom didn't like to be referred to as such. Whenever they had the fortune to go out in public, Frisk had to call her by her first name and wasn't allowed to hold her hand like her older cousins could. They could remember how disgusted their mother would look if they slipped up and forgot to follow the rules.

The child didn't like to remember their parents. Their father yelled all the time and whenever he came back from work smelling funny, he made Frisk hurt all over. Their mother often watched, eyes glazed over and her body immobile.

Frisk could still feel his fingers on their throat.

Toriel knew the basics of what had occurred in Frisk's past during the process of taking the small human in as her own. The legal workers explained that Frisk had a multitude of issues and that no one was willing to take the child in because of the marring on their file. The paper work disclosed only what the employees assumed from what the healing wounds and fading bruises could tell. Frisk wouldn't fill them in on the rest and their parents couldn't be located. The child had been found on a park bench.

Toriel hadn't had the heart to tell the others what she discovered about Frisk while trying to adopt them. She was just trying to protect her child from what she thought would cause unnecessary judgement.

 _'_ _No._ _'_ Frisk shuddered. They child yanked on their hair. _'_ _I..._ _'_

"kid, it's ok," Sans tried. He felt extremely uncomfortable at the sight of Frisk starting to become distraught.

 _'_ _You guys aren_ _'_ _t a real family though, are you?_ _'_ Frisk signed, face paling. _'_ _You_ _'_ _re so soft and nice and funny and you make me feel better and give me hugs and let me hold your hands and..._ _and..._ _'_ Their signing became more erratic. _'_ _And don_ _'_ _t leave me and hurt me and..._ _'_

Toriel cradled the back of her child's head and held the human to her chest. Sans felt like he was going to be sick.

The breezeway door opened with an ebullient slam. Toriel and Sans made brief eye to eye socket contact and Sans sauntered into the kitchen to greet his brother.

"'sup, pap."

"GREETINGS SANS," Papyrus acknowledge. "I FINISHED MY SHIFT EARLY AT THE DINING FACILITY. HOW WAS YOU DAY?"

"it's was alright. what about you?"

"FANTASTIC AS ALWAYS. EVERYDAY IS GREAT WHEN YOU ARE AS GREAT AS I AM! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Sans couldn't help but spread his jaw further than the smile he had pasted on at the sound of Papyrus's arrival.

"WHERE IS THE HUMAN?" Papyrus's supraorbital ridge lowered in suspicion. "USUALLY THEY HAVE TURNED THEMSELVES INTO A SMALL CHILD PROJECTILE BY NOW."

"frisk isn't feelin' too good right now."

Papyrus's eyes grew in alarm. "THE HUMAN HAS GROWN UNWELL? I MUST ATTEND TO THEM IMMEDIATELY—"

Sans held up a hand to stop his brother from advancing. "nah, they're not sick, pap. they're just not feelin' too great."

The taller of the two skeleton's expression shifted as he registered what his brother meant. He hung his car keys on the hook by the door and looped his scarf on the coatrack.

"ARE...ARE THEY ALRIGHT?" Papyrus queried tentatively.

"can you do me a favor, pap?"

Papyrus nodded. "ANYTHING FOR YOU, BROTHER!"

"frisk is gonna need some extra cheerin' up today. can you show them what a super cool friend you are and help them feel better?"

"OF COURSE! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, EXCELL AT MANY THINGS. ONE OF MY GREATEST TALENTS AMONG MY PLETHORA OF SKILLS IS CHEERING UP THOSE WHO ARE DOWN! I WILL GO CHANGE INTO ONE OF MY MANY COOL OUTFITS TO HELP INSPIRE THE HUMAN!"

Papyrus rushed out of the kitchen and Sans heaved a sigh of relief. It was amazing how understanding his brother always was no matter what what happening. His knack for seeing the best in others certainly came in handy.

Sans pulled his phone out of one of the pockets in his shorts and shot Undyne a text, inviting her and Alphys over for dinner. With what Frisk was currently going through, the skeleton would have to rally up the troops. Although, with the state they were in, it was possible for them to become overwhelmed.

When Toriel entered the kitchen and he could hear the human giggling with Papyrus as if they were starting to get some of their usual spunk back, Sans confirmed a time with Undyne. Laughter was always a good sign they were starting to come out of it.

Toriel smoothed down the front of her blouse and moved past Sans to the pantry. He could feel perturbed ripples of magic rolling off of her figure in waves.

Although he felt extremely self-conscious about it, Sans ignored Papyrus's chatter in the other room and followed what his nonexistent gut was telling him to do.

"tori." Sans wrapped his hand around hers and met her watery gaze. "the kid's gonna be alright."

The ex-monster queen swallowed but did nothing to slow the distressed frequency of her SOUL's wavelength.

"they're pretty tough," Sans went on, "they'll get through this. _we_ _'_ _ll_ get through this."

"I know, I just…" Toriel trailed off. She flexed her jaw as if she was holding back.

"you know me, i'm not one for touchy-feely mumbo jumbo but if i'm gonna be helpin' you raise frisk, you can't keep secrets from me. what happened to them, tori? what did the humans do to them?"

"QUICK, PUT ON THESE SUNGLASSES! YES, LIKE THAT! YOU ARE SO GREAT, SMALL HUMAN!"

"I...I do not know exactly." Toriel pulled her hand free and rubbed the back of her neck. She moved to where Papyrus filed their mail into separate boxes on the counter besides the fridge and turned her back on Sans. "The orphanage did not know much either. The police were the ones that brought Frisk in. They found them by themselves and could not locate their parents. T-They had..."

Toriel began to shake with rage. "They had _marks_ on them. Handprints on their throat, cuts and burns on their back..."

The pinpoints vanished from Sans's eye sockets. His smile swelled.

"My biggest fear is that their parents will come back and try to reclaim them. I...I..."

Her voice broke and her shoulders slumped.

"NYEH HEH HEH! NO ONE HAS BESTED ME AT CONNECT FOUR AND NO ONE EVER WILL!"

"I cannot lose another one, Sans."

Sans put a hand on her shoulder and carefully guided her in a pivot so they could look at one another. "hey, that's not gonna happen, tor. i made you a promise, remember?"

"I'm sorry," Toriel apologized quietly. "I know it is silly, but sometimes I am even afraid to get the mail. Fortunately, Papyrus finds much more joy in fetching it than I do."

"you're the best parent around, tori. hell, you're a million times better than those shitty pta moms." Sans thought for a minute. "actually, i take that back. you feed frisk gluten. _gluten,_ tori."

Toriel gave the skeleton a small laugh.

" **ghee** , was that one too **corny** for you?"

"I AGREE, PUZZLES ARE THE BEST!"

"No **whey** ," Toriel replied.

"WHAT? YOU WANT TO PLAY ME A SONG?"

There was a click of the Frisk turning on their music player and the shaking of a maraca filled the room. A woman spoke in an unfamiliar language and there was whooping, an upbeat song bursting from the speaker. Sans could hear Frisk clap their hands.

 _"_ _This one goes out to you and yours, worldwide!_ _"_

"I truly am sorry that I sent you into that meeting completely unprepared. Being a teacher, I cannot do or say anything to Linda. I could risk loosing my position. But, that said, I was certainly not going to squander what chances I had to put her in her place. That is why I questioned you to step in for me for the day just so you could see how bad things are getting in the school. You can actually do something, Sans. It is bad enough that I have to deal with her at PTA meetings without Gerald Smith preparing to offer her a job at the school. She is a bully and a terrible creature. I do not disagree with the actions you took at the meeting. She got what was coming to her." Toriel explained.

 _"_ _I say hey, I'll be gone today, but I_ _'_ _ll be back around the way..._ _"_

"HUMAN, THIS IS EXTREMELY CATCHY! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Frisk laughed.

"you're diabolical," Sans said.

Toriel smiled joyfully. "I know."

 _"_ _It seems like everywhere I go, the more I see, the less I know..._ _"_

"i'm glad it was me then. i have a little more self control when it comes to handling people who pick on the kiddo. you probably would have burned that classroom to the ground."

Toriel giggled. Her laugh alone was confirmation.

"SANS! THE HUMAN WANTS YOU AND THEIR MOTHER!"

Toriel got up from her seat. Sans followed her into the living room, hands in his pockets.

" _But I know one thing that I love you! I love you, I love you, I love you!_ _"_

Upon entering the living room, Sans and Toriel saw a sight that made their SOULs swell: Frisk up on Papyrus's feet, the two of them twirling and bouncing around the room as Papyrus moved them, their grins as wide as they could spread. Toriel quickly pulled her camera out from her inventory and snapped a picture. As soon as she was done Frisk spotted her, motioning for her to join them.

"Alright, I suppose so," Toriel agreed. Frisk took their mother's hand and Toriel joined in, the three of them swinging around in a circle.

Sans watched the scene, absolutely ecstatic to see his brother so full of joy, his SOUL radiating content waves of pure bliss.

"Dance party?!"

Undyne and Alphys had arrived for dinner, the two of them following the sound of laughter and music to take in the scene before them.

"COUNT ME IN! FUHUHUHU!" Undyne ducked into the middle of the circle with a "Hey losers!" and wiggled her hips. Alphys accompanied her, blushing profusely when Undyne dipped her.

 _"_ _kid, ya gotta tell me. it_ _'_ _s cruel, isn_ _'_ _t it? to be living like this and know it_ _'_ _s all gonna reset? please, frisk, i_ _'_ _m beggin_ _'_ _you._ _"_

 _He fell to his knees with a trembling SOUL._

 _"_ _you gotta tell me, frisk. i-i..._ _i can_ _'_ _t take it anymore._ _"_

 _Something gingerly brushed his skull. He gazed up with watering eyes to see Frisk pressing their lips to his forehead._

 _'_ _never again,_ _'_ _the child signed. Their firm expression softened and their brow came together. Their eyes glistened as they whispered,_ _"_ _I promise._ _"_

 _The small human stepped back with a tender smile. They then resumed chasing insects with their butterfly net. The skeleton watched in amazement._

 _"_ _Sans? What is wrong?_ _"_

 _Toriel caressed his back. She had come out from the house to help Frisk catch bugs._

 _"_ _it_ _'_ _s just..._ _"_ _Sans began with a genuine grin, tears spilling from his eye sockets and slipping down his cheekbones._ _"_ _it_ _'_ _s such a beautiful day outside._ _"_

Sans felt warmth spread from his chest to the rest of his body. For the first time in a long time he felt _happy._

"Sans! I just thought of one!" Toriel called. "What kind of dance do mothers like best? A **Mom** -bo!"

"heheheh—whoa!"

Sans snicker abruptly ended when he was pulled off his feet by his friends (no, _family_ ) and into the middle of the circle.

"COME ON, LAZYBONES!"

"Yeah, Sans, you wanna be some kind of sad, nerdy benchwarmer?"

"W-W-We should add th-this one to the s-song list, Undyne!"

"nah, i just got no **body** to dance with. you could say i've got **two left feet**. or, in your case, undyne, **two wet feet**."

Undyne rolled her eyes. Frisk pulled out their phone and snapped a selfie with their dancing family in the background, Papyrus expertly sliding his hand behind the child's head to give them bunny ears.

When the song came to an end, Toriel departed from the living room to finish making dinner and Frisk grabbed the box of Connect Four Papyrus had recently put back on the shelf. The human jumped up and down, dumping out the pieces on the coffee table and began to set up the game.

Undyne gave a roar of delight and Papyrus a hearty cackle. No one knew exactly how it came to be but for whatever reason, a gathering over at the skeleton household wasn't complete without a rigorous game of Connect Four. The monsters and Frisk really got into it. They relished in the competition (Undyne most of all, even though she disliked puzzles) and made bets against one another. Even Sans, who during other games snoozed and often missed his turn, became happily involved with the other feverish players and spectators.

Papyrus and Undyne were the first to play after a coin toss and everyone who wasn't playing settled in for what was most likely going to be a long game. Frisk drummed their fingers on the table, eyes following each move. Alphys, enraptured as well, was unable to sit still as the game progressed.

Halfway through the round one of Mettaton's gorgeous legs made a surprise appearance through the doorway and the robot joined them with Asgore in tow.

"Hello, Frisk," Asgore said. The child hopped up into his arms and planted a kiss on his cheek.

The game was growing more and more heated with every turn that passed. The racks were almost full. Undyne was screeching something about perseverance while Papyrus proclaimed is devotion to the game.

"So how do you win this game?" Asgore asked. He had only witnessed the spectacle that was Connect Four a handful of times. Mostly he made quiet small talk with Toriel if she was in the mood or hummed while he perused a gardening magazine.

Frisk was about to explain but they were interrupted by Papyrus and Undyne demonstrating exactly how it was done.

"No WAY!"

The room exploded. Undyne face planted into the table in defeat. Sans exclaimed, "geeeeeetttt dunked on!" Alphys pointed at where Papyrus's red tokens formed a diagonal line and covered her mouth in shock. Mettaton kicked a leg in the air and performed the splits, striking a dramatic pose and jumping back up with a loud "OOOOOOOOHHHHHH!"

Frisk plucked their camera from their inventory and handed it to Asgore. The small human stood in font of the chaos and tried not to shed a tear. Papyrus's tactics had been performed flawlessly with precision the likes of which had never been witnessed before on the Surface.

"Dinner is ready!" Toriel called from the kitchen.

"OH GOODIE!" Papyrus leaped up and ran into the kitchen. "ARE WE HAVING SPAGHETTI?!"

The rest of the monsters and Frisk squeezed into the kitchen after the Connect Four champion. Once alone in the living room, Undyne groaned and flipped the table. Although she didn't pick up the pieces, she set the table back down where it belonged.

Alphys couldn't help but smile. Her sportsmanship was improving. Frisk poked their head back into the living room when Undyne hadn't shot after them and spotted the pout that was clearly written across the fish monster's face. The child approached her and tugged on her pant leg.

"Huh? What do you want?" Undyne questioned sourly.

Only drastic actions would be able to stop her from resenting her loss. Frisk motioned with a finger for her to stoop down and once she did, Frisk pecked her between the eyes.

"Eww, gross you weenie!" The monster pretended to gag.

Frisk stuck out their tongue and took the hands of the two remaining monsters, leading the way into the noisy kitchen.

The rowdy ensemble dug into their meal, conversing about their day, exchanging good-natured banter, and complementing Toriel on her cooking. Frisk signed animately, giggling at their family's antics. Undyne and Sans nearly got into an eating contest. Papyrus raved about how great the "spaghetti cake" was and how he couldn't wait to try the recipe to anyone who would listen. Asgore and Alphys had an enlightening conversation about Surface flora. Mettaton boasted about his upcoming gig at a human arena he would be staring in.

But, as dinner went on, Frisk began to feel more and more odd. The child couldn't exactly describe the foreign sensation that was stirring in their chest and the fogginess in the back of their mind that they couldn't seem to blink away. As the sun began to set in the kitchen windows the more strange they felt. They tried to shake it off as nerves.

After the last plate was washed and set to dry and the visitors began to trickle out, Frisk slipped into the bathroom when they thought no one was paying attention. There was a strangely familiar voice in the back of their mind but the child couldn't make out the words the voice was uttering. And odious feeling snaked through them. Nausea churned in their stomach. They felt cold and shaky and they shuddered, their pulse intensifying as there was a dull buzz in their inner ears along with a faint tingling in the back of their mind. They winced and their head pounded brutally. Frisk's head fell into their hands and they closed their eyes as memories overwhelmed them.

 _"_ _You bitch! I wanted boys! Why couldn_ _'_ _t you give me a boy?!_ _"_

 _The loud snap of a belt and the crack of leather meeting flesh. Their mother screamed._

 _"_ _I_ _'_ _m sorry, Crook, I_ _'_ _m sorry!_ _"_

 _Crack. Another shriek._

 _"Hey, we're gonna be fine," the Other said. Even though they were trying to sound confident, they looked as scared as Frisk felt._

 _"He's h-h-hurting her," Frisk told them. "H-He's gonna h-hurt m-me next."_

 _They could feel the Other's hands on their cheeks. "We'll make him pay. He won't get away with this."_

 _But Frisk could feel the Other. And the Other knew he was going to get away with it. People like him always got away with it, they always did._

 _"I-I-I d-don't w-w-wanna," Frisk whispered. They began to rock._

 _"D-Don't be such a baby," the Other rebuked. "We...we..."_

 _The Other was broken._

 _"_ _That will teach you to talk back you dirty little slut. That will teach you to argue with me!_ _"_

 _They huddled under their blanket and scooted further into the closet. They couldn_ _'_ _t feel their wet face. They were too numb._

 _Crack._

 _"_ _No, it'_ _s not my fault, it_ _'_ _s not my fault! It_ _'_ _s Frisk! It_ _'_ _s Frisk, it_ _'_ _s Frisk, it_ _'_ _s Frisk. Not me, it_ _'_ _s not my fault, it_ _'_ _s Frisk_ _'_ _s. It_ _'_ _s all Frisk_ _'_ _s._ _"_

 _Their mother was sobbing. Frisk_ _'_ _s knees locked tighter to their chest and they coved their ears._

 _"_ _Whaddya mean, girl?_ _"_

 _"_ _Y-Y-You said w-we were gonna h-have boys, Crook. Frisk d-didn_ _'_ _t get your permission. I_ _'_ _m sorry, I_ _'_ _m sorry, sorry, sorry._ _"_

 _"_ _Where is that little bitch?_ _"_

 _Their door was kicked open._ _The smell of cigarettes and liquor filled the room._ _Their father threw stuff around in their room before smashing the closet door open. The blanket was ripped off of them._

 _"_ _Think you can hide from me, kid?_ _"_

 _"_ _D-D-Dad_ _—"_

 _There was a crack and pain erupted on their back. Their father grabbed them by the arm and chucked them onto the floor._

 _"Stay strong, Frisk!" the Other yelled. "Stay determined!"_

 _"_ _Who said you were allowed to talk? Did I say you could talk?_ _"_

 _They bit their tongue to stifle their wail they weren_ _'_ _t quick enough. Crying made it worse._

 _Crack._

 _"_ _No one cares about you, girl. Scream all you want, no one is coming to help._ _"_

The child grasped their cranium with their free hand and glanced into the mirror. They needed to come back to reality, to escape the scene that was unfolding in their mind. Instead of Frisk, someone else was staring back at them. The child in the mirror no longer appeared human. Their crimson eyes glimmered maliciously and a twisted grin contorted their face. The world spun violently. Black spots cropped up in the child's peripheral and built a dark tunnel around their line of vision. It felt like someone was sawing their head in half, shoving needles into their eyes and ears, and then applying thousands of white hot pokers to their skull.

 **"** **It** **'** **s me, C** **—"**

Frisk cried out, lost their balance, and stumbled backwards. The shower curtain fell onto them with a loud _crash_ and the small human flopped into the tub behind them.

The bathroom door opened. Their father was coming for them.

Sans peered around the door and stepped into the bathroom only to find Frisk tangled up in the shower curtains within the belly of the tub.

"you alright?"

His eye flashed in shock when Frisk, who hadn't looked up, curled in on themselves and whimpered, "Don't touch me!"

"frisk?"

The human bolted up, a fine sheen of sweat coating their forehead. Their teeth gnawed at the corner of their lip. Their head spun violently as they slowly sat up. Frisk swallowed hard, blinking a few times as the pressure in their skull subsided.

Sans helped the quivering child out of the tub. Frisk stood their awkwardly with their head down. The skeleton wasn't exactly sure how to approach the situation.

"are...are you ok?"

Frisk didn't move. They were crying.

"heh...you've had a rough night, haven't you, kiddo?"

After a brief hesitation the child slowly nodded.

"do you want to talk about it?"

Frisk sucked in a deep breath and their shoulders sunk. They began to cry.

"kid, what happened to you before you fell into the underground?"

* * *

 **Sorry for the slight delay! Just wanted to let you all know that I'm going to have a few exams soon so if my update is a little bit late that's why :)**

 **Thank you all for your kudos and comments! I feel like I'm on top of the world whenever I see that someone has taken the time to comment on my work. I hope you guys liked this chapter and if you're confused, I promise more will be explained later!**

 **In response to Newenglander: It's alright, everyone is entitled to their own opinions :) *thumbs up***

 **Love always,**

 **Sav**


	6. Dark, Darker, Yet Darker Pt 1

_They twiddled their thumbs and met_ _Stephanie_ _'_ _s blank stare. Her eyes were glazed over, her face passive._

 _"_ _Stay here, got it? I have run to the store and pick up some stuff for your dad._ _"_

 _The child nodded but tapped on their mouth with a finger._

 _"_ _Go ahead,_ _"_ _Stephanie said, giving their daughter permission to speak._

 _"_ _W-W-Why c-can_ _'_ _t I..._ _I come?_ _"_

 _Stephanie wouldn_ _'_ _t look them in the eye._ _"_ _Just stay here, alright? I_ _'_ _ll be right back. And no talking._ _"_

 _"_ _O-Okay._ _"_

 _Their legs dangled down from where Stephanie had sat them on the bench. They watched other children playing on the park equipment with their friends and parents. They wanted to join them but they promised they wouldn_ _'_ _t move._

 _Would they let the child join them? Would the other mothers and fathers let them play with their children?_

 _"_ _Good riddance. We don_ _'_ _t need her anyway,_ _"_ _the Other said. They hopped up onto the bench next to them._ _"_ _We don_ _'_ _t need anyone._ _"_

 _They tugged at their braid and wished they could get out of outfit Stephanie had picked out for them today. They didn_ _'_ _t like wearing skirts every day, they didn_ _'_ _t want to wear_ _feminine_ _clothes all the time._

 _Their sweater itched. They couldn_ _'_ _t remember the last time their mo_ _—_ _Stephanie washed their clothes for them. Their stomach ached. Crook wouldn_ _'_ _t let them eat._

 _"_ _Don_ _'_ _t think about it._ _"_ _The Other could feel their hunger. They could feel everything._ _"_ _And don_ _'_ _t cry either. I got enough of that from..._ _do you want to play with me?_ _"_

 _They shook their head. They weren_ _'_ _t in the mood and the promised they would stay on the bench until Stephanie got back._

 _"_ _You don_ _'_ _t have to listen to them all the time, you know. You can think for yourself._ _"_

 _"_ _W-W-When I-I do t-that, C-Crook hits me h-harder._ _"_ _The child gingerly touched the new bruises they were sporting from the night before. They looked like a raccoon. There was a bandaid on their cheekbone from where knuckles had split their skin open to match the ones on their neck, knees, and hands._ _"_ _I-I g-gotta listen. I promised S-Stephanie I-I would stay he-here._ _"_

 _The Other frowned._

Frisk's hands spasmed. They didn't know where to begin.

 _Hours passed and the park emptied. There were only a few parents and children left. One of the adults kept gaping at them as if waiting for something to happen. Nothing did._

 _"_ _That lady_ _'_ _s really late this time._ _"_

 _They pulled on their skirt and let their legs sway. They pushed their hair away from their face and shivered. It was starting to get cold._

 _"_ _If she_ _'_ _s not back in the next hour we_ _'_ _re gonna walk back to the hotel. I don_ _'_ _t care what she says, you_ _'_ _re not gonna sit here like a idiot._ _"_

 _They were uncomfortable. The woman wouldn_ _'_ _t look away from them now._

 _"_ _Haha, funny joke, Stephanie. We get it, you_ _'_ _re trying to teach us a lesson. You and Crook think you_ _'_ _re sooo funny. It_ _'_ _s getting real old,_ _"_ _the Other_ _lambaste_ _d._

 _They sniffed. Stephanie had said on their way there that she only had to run an errand. She said it would only take her a few minutes, not the entire length of the day._

 _The sun was beginning to set. They sniffed and swallowed the lump that was growing in their throat._

 _They could feel the Other_ _'_ _s hand on their wrist._

 _"_ _We_ _'_ _ll make them pay for this, Frisk. I_ _'_ _ll make them pay for this._ _"_

 _But Frisk could feel the Other. And the Other_ _knew that Stephanie wasn_ _'_ _t coming back._

 _"_ _Hello?_ _"_

 _It was the woman. Their head shot up. The woman gave them a soft smile. They admired her red hair._

 _"_ _Do you mind if I sit with you?_ _"_

 _"_ _Ah, no thanks,_ _"_ _the Other said. The child dipped their head in_ _affirmation_ _instead._

 _"_ _My name is Emily. Do you know where your parents are?_ _"_

 _A hundred different things spiraled through their mind that they longed to say. They moved their mouth and the cut on their lip throbbed. Stephanie said no talking. They couldn_ _'_ _t break the rules._

 _They felt sick. They wanted to talk but no one ever wanted to hear what they had to say. So they said nothing. They shrugged._

 _"_ _Do you have a name?_ _"_

 _They nodded._

 _"_ _Can you talk?_ _"_

 _Their face paled and their shivering increased. It was getting colder and the wind was starting to pick up._

 _"_ _What is this, twenty questions? Leave us alone, lady._ _"_ _The Other rolled their eyes._ _"_ _Tell her to go away, Frisk. We don_ _'_ _t need her. We_ _'_ _re gonna make them pay, remember?_ _"_

 _Frisk_ _'_ _s facade shattered and they removed their mask, letting it fall to the ground. The wind blew the fragmented remains away. The child began to cry._

Sans was patient. Frisk knew he would give them time if they really needed it.

 _They had only been at the orphanage a few days when the Other began to complain. It wasn_ _'_ _t like the Other didn_ _'_ _t normally express their_ _dissatisfactio_ _n over things, but when they started to fall ill, Frisk began to worry._

 _"_ _Maybe we should go to a doctor,_ _"_ _Frisk suggested._

 _"_ _I don_ _'_ _t know._ _"_

 _"_ _Do you feel sick? Are you gonna throw up?_ _"_

 _"_ _I..._ _I feel funny, Frisk._ _"_ _The Other was quiet, subdued._ _"_ _We can_ _'_ _t stay here at the orphanage. We..._ _we have to go home. We have to..._ _we..._ _have..._ _to..._ _?_ _"_

 _The Other couldn_ _'_ _t remember what they were supposed to go home for. Frisk grabbed their hand and tethered the to reality. The human was a pinprick in a sea of darkness._

 _"_ _Wh-What_ _'_ _s happening, Frisk?_ _"_

 _The Other was panicking. Frisk tightened their grip and cupped their cheek with their free hand. The red of their eyes was glowing a pulsating crimson._

 _"_ _What_ _'_ _s going on?_ _"_ _Frisk asked. Their heart races as the Other began to fade, began to slip through their fingers._ _"_ _W-What_ _'_ _s wrong?_ _"_

 _The Other let out a slow, drawn out scream. Barbed tendrils of shadow coiled around their form. Their screech turned into a demented laugh. They threw their head back and cackled hysterically. Tears streamed down their face. They were beginning to forget the good in the world. There was only relentless hatred. There was only the pounding of fists and feet. There was only the pressure of hands on their thighs and nails digging into their flesh as they were pried apart._

 _They fought to remember the good in the world._

 _"_ _Asriel_ _—"_ _The Other choked on his name. It was all their fault. It was all their fault. It was all the humans_ _'_ _fault._

 _Who were they? Where were they?_

 _"_ _Frisk, help me!_ _"_ _the Other begged._ _"_ _S-Something_ _'_ _s_ _—"_

 _"_ _D-Don_ _'_ _t go_ _—"_

 _The world was on fire. The Other clawed at their eyes. Their hands came back black. They laughed as they sobbed._

 _"_ _You_ _'_ _re gonna play with me, remember?_ _"_ _the Other pleaded. They fell to their knees, scratching at their face, tugging on their hair, wrenching on their jaw. They were almost completely transparent. The world was crumbling. It was dark._

 _"_ _We_ _'_ _re gonna be together forever, remember?_ _"_

 _Darker._

 _"_ _Remember, partner?_ _"_

 _Yet darker._

 _"_ _Remember?_ _"_

 _Frisk fell to the ground where the Other had suddenly vaporized with violent convulsions._

 _There was a strange noise and symbols floated around them._

 _"We cannot fear what we already know, we cannot fear what we cannot control."_

 _Frisk raised their head._

The child summoned all the will-power they could manage. They told Sans how their father used to hit them, how their mother would do nothing, how she would often deflect her own beatings onto Frisk. They told him of how they weren't allowed to call Stephanie and Crook mom and dad, how they weren't allowed to talk unless someone gave them permission, how they sometimes weren't allowed to eat or leave their room. They spoke of how they weren't allowed to go to school and how other children were either scared of their constant welts and bruises or made fun of them.

As Frisk recounted what happened before they fell into the Underground, their SOUL throbbed in agony. It felt as if it was being sawed in two, as if friendliness pellets were whizzing off the surface and penetrating deep into the small human's rib cage. Now that they hadn't began they couldn't stop. They were signing more than they had ever had at once and their story poured from their SOUL in a torrent of emotion. It was as if a floodgate within the child had been opened and every pent up feeling was finally cascading from their hands and leaving their body.

Toriel eventually entered the bathroom and was followed a few minutes after by Papyrus. Soon all three of the monsters were crammed with Frisk in the tiny bathroom and watched as they told their story.

Frisk explained how it was rare when they were able to leave the house and go outside, how they were never able to feel the sun or wind or rain on their skin. The told Sans how after falling in the Underground, they didn't want anyone else to be trapped either. They knew what it was like to yearn for something that had been stolen from their grasp and couldn't stand to watch the monsters beneath the Surface struggle to cling to hope when Frisk had been doing that their whole life. The child told Sans that they had been determined to figure out a way to get everyone on the Surface so they could see the sun and feel rain and wind too.

Their hands trembled as they described after their friend died in the orphanage, they didn't have anyone else. The kids wouldn't talk to them because Frisk wouldn't— _couldn_ _'_ _t_ —talk back. They told Sans about how one of the caregivers took Frisk under their wing and taught them sign language when everyone believed Frisk to be mute and how one day she was fired and replaced with one that would abuse the children just because she could.

 _'_ _She told me one day that if I wanted be be a good child, I would climb Mt. Ebott like the other kids in the tale and not come back. Soon the other kids in the orphanage told me to do it too. So, I listened._ _'_

Frisk bowed their head.

 _'_ _I just wanted to see my friend again._ _'_

Eventually when the human found the courage, they peeked up from their hands. Their mother was crying silently. Papyrus was appalled. Sans' whole body was shuddering and his eyes were dark. Every now and again a pulse of color and plume of smoke would flicker in his eye socket and vanish.

 _'_ _I_ _'_ _m so happy I have you guys. I_ _'_ _m sorry,_ _'_ Frisk signed but they miraculously managed to find their voice. "I-I'm sorry, I-I'm sorry, I-I-I—"

The child was quickly enveloped in a group hug, the monsters closing in on them and wrapping them up into their arms, the child hiccuping and crying into their shoulders until they could cry no more.

* * *

 **I know it's a shorter chapter than you guys are used to and I was originally going to add it onto the chapter that is coming after this one, but it just didn't seem to fit on the way I wanted it too and in my mind broke up the flow of the chapter, so I split it into two. There will be a short delay on the next chapter because of my exams that are coming up at the end of this week and the beginning of next week, so hopefully I will be able to get a chapter up during my spring break (March 7-11th) or shortly after I come back to uni. Anyway, the next one should be much longer than this one :)**

 **Thank you all again for your constant support :) You guys make studying for tests and slaving over homework for hours much more bearable!**

 **-Sav**


	7. All the Good Science Puns Argon

_"_ _What is happening?_ _"_

 _They were descending, turning and tumbling as the endless abyss churned up waves semi-darkness and heaved them into reality._

 _"_ _Where am I?_ _"_

 _They blinked and found themselves standing in a bed of golden flowers. They held their semi-translucent hands out in front of them and cautiously flexed their fingers._

 _"_ _Our plan had failed_ _…_ _so why am I awake?_ _"_

 _There was movement at their feet. Chara jumped back in astonishment as something began to wriggle in the bed of flowers._

 _"_ _What is that?_ _"_

 _A wild mane canted upward and tiny hands pushed against the ground. Chara recoiled even further._

 _"_ _Wait_ _—_ _is that a human?_ _"_

 _The little human got to their feet. They didn_ _'_ _t even bother to fix their mop of brunette hair that was disheveled from the fall. Chara watched as they glanced around nervously. They then spotted the dirt path leading away from the flowerbed. The child began to follow the walkway to where a cave expanded into a vast wall of rock on the other side of the clearing._

 _"_ _Where is it going?_ _"_

 _Chara flexed their hands and took in their surroundings. For whatever reason, they were in Asriel_ _'_ _s favorite corner of the Underground. Faint shafts of light from the world above spilled down through the gaping mouth of where the_ _crevasse_ _had been pried open. Chara remembered tripping and falling in and Asriel_ _…_

 _They were suddenly overcome with emotion. Where was Asriel? The humans had attacked them. They had tried to fight back, to protect themselves, to put their plan into action, but they had failed, hadn_ _'_ _t they? If they had been brought back, had Asriel as well?_

 _Chara tried not to let the flicker of hope that was beginning to blaze within them turn into a conflagration. They put aside their_ _incredulity and_ _sentiment_ _as their curiosity got the best of them. They decided to pursue the little human to where they had disappeared into the depths of the Ruins._

 _When they peered around the corner, the smaller human was standing in front of a talking_ _…_ _flower? Maybe he was a monster they had never met before?_

 _The flower suddenly attacked, laughing manically and calling the child an idiot. Chara began to move around the corner when a ball of fire pummeled the flower and sent it flying. Chara froze._

 _"_ _What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth. Are you hurt, my child?_ _"_

 _There was tall, white furred monster standing before the younger human who had launched the attack at the flower. She was dressed in a purple tunic with an insignia on the front. They gawked at the monster for a moment before they realized why she was so startlingly familiar._

 _"_ _Mom?_ _"_ _Chara uttered, eyes wide and body cold._

 _"_ _Ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins._ _"_

 _"_ _MOM! Mom, you_ _'_ _re here!_ _"_ _Chara exclaimed, running towards the monster._ _"_ _You_ _'_ _re alright! I never thought I would be so happy to see you! I-I_ _'_ _m so confused. Why are we in the Ru_ _…_ _Mom?_ _"_

 _"_ _Come. Let me guide you through the catacombs. This way,_ _"_ _Toriel said. She spun around and started off toward the entrance of the Ruins._

 _Hadn_ _'_ _t she heard them? Was she ignoring them?_

 _"_ _Mom, wait, where are you going?_ _"_ _Chara asked. They felt like the momentary strength they had possessed mere seconds ago had been sucked from them._ _"_ _Mom? Toriel_ _…_ _?_ _"_

 _They stopped and something within them plummeted._ _"_ _Do you_ _…_ _not hear me?_ _"_

 _The small human that was following Chara_ _'_ _s mother turned to peek at them._

 _The three passed through the entrance and into the room that held the first puzzle of many that were housed within the Ruins. As Toriel explained the concept of the puzzles to the little human, Chara observed with a sick feeling in their stomach. Toriel showed the child how to complete the puzzle and strode through the newly opened door._

 _"_ _You really can_ _'_ _t see me_ _…_ _?_ _"_ _Chara inquired quietly._

 _The child, who was alone in the room, swiveled to face them. They studied Chara for a moment and gave them a tiny wave._

 _"_ _Can you_ _…_ _can you see me?_ _"_

 _The child nodded._

 _"_ _Greetings,_ _"_ _Chara said, remembering their manners._ _"_ _I am Chara. What is your name?_ _"_

 _The child reached into their pant_ _s' pocket and pulled out a stick as was about half the length of their leg. They squatted down slightly and traced a few crooked letters into the dirt._

 _"'_ _Frisk?_ _'"_ _Chara read. There was something about the name that_ _elicit_ _ed a faint tingling in the back of their mind in response. They shrugged it off and spoke again._

 _"_ _How did you get here? Did you fall down as well?_ _"_

 _They slid the stick back into their front pocket and gave a hesitant dip of their head._

 _Chara figured they didn_ _'_ _t have anything better to do and they really didn_ _'_ _t want to leave their mother now that they had just found her. Hopefully, they would be able to find a way to communicate with her. Maybe she would lead them to Asriel._

 _The younger of the two of them pointed to a sign on the wall._

 _"_ _Hmm? Can you read?_ _"_

 _Frisk shook their head._

 _Chara nodded and then read,_

 _*Only the fearless may proceed._

 _*Brave ones, foolish ones._

 _*Both walk not the middle road._

 _"_ _Thank you,_ _"_ _Frisk responded. But their mouth hadn_ _'_ _t moved. They had spoken to Chara from their SOUL._

 _"_ _Toriel already did the puzzle for you, though,_ _"_ _Chara told them, dipping their head to acknowledge the child_ _'_ _s thanks._ _"_ _Let_ _'_ _s go. We don_ _'_ _t want to keep her waiting._ _"_

 _Frisk then reached for Chara only to have their hand phase through_ _. They tried again but their hand only waved back and forth through the older human._

 _"_ _Would you stop that?_ _"_ _Chara asked, yanking their hand away from Frisk_ _'_ _s._ _"_ _It_ _'_ _s freaking me out!_ _"_

 _Frisk faltered before a look of determination crossed their face. They spread their arms and tried to wrap them around Chara_ _'_ _s waist but it was no use. They weren_ _'_ _t able to touch the semi-transparent human._

 _Frisk_ _'_ _s brow furrowed._

 _"_ _Can we follow Toriel now?_ _"_

From the void, a clawed hand struck upward, eyes flashing like a pair of glittering rubies in the darkness.

* * *

Frisk drummed their hands on the top of Undyne's head and wiggled happily from their position up on her shoulders. After spending the weekend at Alphys and Undyne's (the two were in a dispute with Mettaton about what kind of decorations and gift bags—Mew Mew Kissy Cutie, Sailor Moon, Hayate No Gotoku, or Mettaton's rectangular form—were going to be at their upcoming wedding), Papyrus had stayed the night as well to catch up on anime with Alphys and Undyne and to go grocery shopping the next morning. Toriel and Sans had decided to tag along as well (Sans after finding out that they were out of ketchup and Toriel after finding out they were out of escargot) and had walked down to the store to meet them.

"You still good up there, dweeb?" Undyne asked as she and Papyrus navigated through rows of pasta. Sans was trailing behind them as he clicked along on his phone.

Frisk nodded and lowered a thumbs up into Undyne's line of sight. Papyrus beamed when Frisk decided to give him one as well. The human and the skeleton had decided to coordinate their outfits for the day. Frisk was in a black sweater with bright blue shorts and shoes while Papyrus was in a black crop top that read _HUG DEALER_ on the front and bright red shorts with a matching baseball cap, white tube socks, and sneakers. Papyrus turned the child's floral baseball cap so it was sitting backwards on their head like it was on his and said, "IT IS MUCH COOLER THIS WAY!"

Undyne was wearing her usual black tank top, jeans, and crimson combat boots. When Papyrus wasn't making her experiment with fashion (and question _his_ fashion choices), it was her go to outfit. She didn't care that she had already worn it two days in a row. Yesterday, she had worn a bandana around her neck to match her shoes so it wasn't the _exact_ same outfit.

"Let's get elicoidali! We haven't made spaghetti with those in awhile!" Undyne suggested.

"CAVATAPPI IS FAR SUPERIOR TO ELICOIDALI!" Papyrus argued.

"sounds like an im **pasta** ble decision," Sans commented.

Undyne face palmed with a groan.

"SANS!" Papyrus stomped his foot and threw his brother a withering look. "YOU'VE USED THAT ONE ALREADY!"

"sorry for re **heating** that one, **buco**."

Papyrus threw his hands up in exasperation. "IF I HAD A **PENNE** FOR EVERY PASTA-RELATED PUN YOU TORMENTED ME WITH, I WOULD NOT ONLY BE THE WORLD'S COOLEST SKELETON, BUT THE RICHEST!" His eye sockets narrowed. "THAT WOULD BE A MOMENTOUS AMOUNT OF NOODLES."

"look on the bright side, pap," Sans said with a barely restrained snicker. "just think of all the **pasta** bilities."

Frisk, who had been trying not to show the thrill of witnessing Sans comedic abilities in action, could no longer suppress their laugher and cracked up. Undyne on the other hand drew her hands to her mouth in a deep inhale as her eye widened. She folded them and pointed them at the shorter of the two skeletons as she exhaled and then spread her hands, spears materializing in her grasp.

"oh no. looks like i'm about to be **a** **nelli** -ated."

"NYEH?" Papyrus began to sweat at the sight of the threat. "HUMAN! QUICK, SOLVE OUR DISPUTE!"

The child giggled and shrugged. They reached for a box of noodles that were shaped like bowties. They handed the down to Undyne and began to braid her hair to calm her down.

"Fuhuhu! Alright, kid, I can't argue with a classic!"

"THESE ARE NIFTY! CAN WE WEAR THEM IN OUR NEXT PORTRAIT?"

' _I think Undyne should be in our next picture too!_ _'_

"BUT NOT SANS," Papyrus added. "ONLY IF HE STOPS BEING SUCH A WISECRACKER!"

Sans's shoulders bobbed with a grin. "i guess i'm being… **pun** ished."

With unfathomable anger, Papyrus picked up his brother with a screech and hurled him into the nearest trashcan. After careful thought, Frisk gave the toss a nine out of ten. It could have gotten a ten out of ten if the initial dismount hadn't been a bit shaky from rage.

"C'mon, Frisk, let's go look at the sporting goods." Undyne raised the human off her shoulders, set them down in the belly of the cart among their groceries, and started to push the cart away. "Frisk and I will meet you two losers in the condiment aisle. Tell Toriel we're gonna go look at gym equipment."

 _'_ _Can we get a soccer ball? Dad accidentally popped the last one._ _'_

Undyne laughed. "Yeah, that was HYSTERICAL! Did ya see the look on his face when he realized it was stuck on his horn? OH _MAN!_ _"_

As they headed away, the brothers continued to bicker.

"YOU CAN STAY IN THERE UNTIL YOU LEARN HOW TO BEHAVE!"

Obnoxious snoring echoed out of the trashcan.

"DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE SLEEPING IN THERE, YOU LAZYBONES."

"can't help it. it's my native habitat."

Papyrus frowned. "I SINCERELY HOPE THAT WAS ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR JOKES I DON'T UNDERSTAND."

Sans popped the lid up and beamed like a Cheshire cat. "hey, pap, why was the trashcan sad?"

"I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR IT!"

"'cuz it was **dumped**."

"STOP IT SANS!"

"c'mon, you're smiling."

"I AM AND I HATE IT!"

After lifting his brother up out of the trashcan, Papyrus was about to set him down when he felt Sans relax where he was draped over his shoulder. Papyrus sighed and patted his sibling's scapula.

"WHY DOES SOMEONE HAS GREAT AS ME HAVE TO DO SO MUCH FOR SO LITTLE RECOGNITION?"

"love ya, bro."

After filling the cart with what each household needed (and Sans staring longingly at ketchup in the condiment aisle), Undyne and Frisk headed to checkout. Frisk hopped out of the cart to browse the the checkout candy and scan their inventory.

 _"_ _Hm? What is it?_ _"_

 _Frisk_ _'_ _s stomach growled. Inspecting the entirety of the kitchen had made them remember their aching hunger._

 _"_ _Are you hungry? She usually keeps food in there._ _"_ _Chara stuck out their tongue and their nose crinkled._ _"_ _I hope you like snails._ _"_

 _Frisk made a small noise and swung open the fridge. Inside were snails in small containers and a brand name chocolate bar. It was one Frisk had never heard of before._

 _Chara swayed up onto their tippy toes. Then they faltered as if remembering something._

 _"_ _She_ _…_ _she saved some for me._ _"_

The child tugged on Undyne's pants and pointed to a chocolate bar. Undyne shrugged and added it to the cart. Frisk signed to Undyne as the monster loaded their groceries onto the conveyor belt for a rather nervous cashier to scan for them.

"Yeah, I'm sure Toriel and the others will be along a minute. Knowing Papyrus, he's probably gotten distracted by something or other."

 _'_ _Or Mom and Dad are making him cry with their jokes!_ _'_ Frisk told her with a cheerful hum.

Undyne nearly dropped the gallon of milk she was holding as if she had been startled. As she recovered from her fumble and handed it to the cashier, she said, "Mom and _who_?!"

Frisk's heart stopped. _'_ _I mean_ _—'_

To the small human's surprise Undyne burst into laugher, cackling so hard that tears streamed down her face. She tried to talk but then fell into a fresh fit of laughter.

 _'_ _Undyne, I_ _'_ _m sorry, I didn_ _'_ _t mean_ _—'_

"Oh MAN that's priceless!" Undyne howled. "Sorry, kid, that's just a funny thing to imagine. Asgore, yeah, I mean, he's a total pushover! What a fluffy buns! That's not hard to picture! But _SANS?_ You've _GOT_ to be kidding me!"

Frisk blushed profusely and glanced away.

"Hey, kid," Undyne said, her voice softening. She bent down to Frisk's level and went on. "I didn't mean it like that! You can call Sans whatever you want, I don't really care. I mean, at one time, yeah I would have cared, but…WHATEVER! It's hard to explain and I really don't feel like going into detail. I wasn't laughing at you, I was laughing at the idea of Sans being a dad. Can you IMAGINE that? Lame jokes and baggy t-shirts and…you know what, forget it. This was a lot funnier in my head."

Undyne stood back up and finished emptying out the cart. "What I'm trying to say is that I don't mind, call him whatever you want. It's just dad and Sans sound funny in the same context, you know?"

Alright, Frisk had to agree with that. _'_ _Please don_ _'_ _t tell him!_ _'_

"Nah, I'm gonna tell him."

 _'_ _Undyne!_ _'_

Undyne laughed. "I'm just messing with you. I won't say anything if you don't want me to."

Frisk breathed out a visible sigh of relief.

"After all, that's what besties are for!" Undyne flashed Frisk a huge, toothy grin.

"D-D-Do you want y-your trifold b-board in a b-bag ma'am?" the cashier inquired.

Undyne and Frisk exchanged a look.

"No, we'll just put it back in the cart. You ARE using paper bags, aren't you? _We_ recycle."

A week had passed since the PTA meeting and Frisk had finally divulged to their family about their past. Although Frisk was terrified that Toriel, Sans, and Papyrus wouldn't like them anymore, they had been shown more love than they ever had before. Toriel baked all of Frisk's favorite foods, made sure to engulf them in kisses and hugs, and constantly told her child how loved they were and that it wasn't their fault. Papyrus offered more words of encouragement, telling Frisk that they were the best friend anyone could ever have and playing more with them whenever he wasn't working by waiting tables. Because Sans wasn't one to shower others in love, he showed he cared in other ways: he played board games, completed puzzles, and sat with the human until they finished their homework without falling asleep once, made sure they had enough to eat and were eating enough, hovered Frisk up to things they couldn't reach instead of floating objects down, and baked cookies with Frisk when the child wanted to bring some in for their classmates.

They were even more understanding about everything than before. It wasn't as if they weren't understanding when Frisk's muscles would tighten and their body would clamp together in a line and it felt like they were dying inside—only now their monster family finally understood _why_. When Toriel accidentally dropped the pots and pans she had been organizing on the kitchen tile and the noise was enough to send Frisk jumping a mile in the air and recoiling with their hands over their ears as if they had been hit, Toriel scooped Frisk up into her arms and rubbed their back, telling them that they were loved and alright and safe. Or when Frisk accidentally caught Sans smoking and the child was nearly launched into a panic attack, Sans stomped out the cigarette and asked, "he used to smoke, didn't he?" When Frisk's only response was a shaky nod and eyes overflowing with silent tears, Sans vowed he would never smoke again and brought the child inside, wrapped them up into a Frisk burrito with several large blankets, and finished the coloring they had been previously working on. When they finished, Frisk crawled up into his lap and curled up against his ribs, the two falling asleep on the couch.

Frisk was so _happy_. It was as if a huge weight had finally been lifted from their shoulders and they felt like their lungs weren't going to collapse in on themselves at any moment anymore. They trusted their family more than they every had before when the child had told them one of their darkest secrets and the human wasn't met with revulsion.

"Excellent! You two have already checked out," Toriel remarked gratefully. "Would you and Alphys like to come over for dinner tonight, Undyne?"

Papyrus and Sans caught up with the group, Papyrus nearly breaking the laws of physics at the thought of all the noodles he could now use to make supper and Sans in his slouching stroll, hands in his pockets and usual smile draw over his jawbone. They each greeted the group in their own way (Undyne snorting gracelessly at the sight of Sans) and began to follow Undyne and Frisk out from the grocery store.

"Hey, dude, by the way," Undyne said, whispering behind a webbed hand as they walked. Toriel, Sans, and Papyrus were exchanging repartee a few paces behind them. "Don't tell Toriel about the batch of cookie dough I let you ea—"

She was cut off by the squealing of tires as dented car barreled through the red light toward the little human who had started to cross the parking lot.

 _"_ _FRISK!_ _"_

The car's horn blared and Frisk's eyes burned and fear bellowed in their ears as they felt glass rain down upon them and their body implode and bones shatter and meat crush in upon itself as they waited for the impact to come—

And then…

And then just as they felt their SOUL twist with blue magic, a clawed hand clamped down on their arm. Undyne wrenched Frisk back as magic swept them off their feet, Undyne uppercutting the front bumper of the car so it somersaulted through the air. There was a crash as it landed back on it's wheels, the belly of the vehicle dragging across the pavement before bouncing up. The driver continued to drive, swerving in fright from the sudden flip after nearly completing a hit-and-run.

"RUDE!" Undyne bellowed. Her fist was still raised in the air and she shook her middle finger at the driver. "We're walking here, jackass!"

"My child are you alright?!"

Frisk was plucked from Undyne's grip and enveloped in Toriel's shaking embrace. The child was still baffled at everything that had taken place in a matter of seconds.

Toriel's head raised from Frisk's hair and her eyes ignited into two narrowed orbs of blazing fire. She released Frisk, stood erect with her shoulders pushed back, and brushed off the front of her blouse.

"Excuse me," Toriel said. "I have to quickly educate that young man on what the different colors of stoplights symbolize."

As their mother stalked off, the little human turned to take in the rest of group. Sans was shaking and sweating (his pinpricks had yet to return to his eye sockets), Undyne was still glowering at the back of the car, and Papyrus immediately yanked them into a spine crushing hug, proclaiming his love for his favorite human and scolding them on their need to be constantly vigilant.

"ARGH! I can't take it anymore!" Undyne shouted. Her chest puffed up and her arms opened up as her spin arched. There was a flash and a pair of energy spears materialized. "Toriel's CRAZY if she thinks I'm just gonna let that PUNK almost SQUASH MY BESTIE and not do ANYTHING ABOUT IT!"

"I CONCUR!" Papyrus agreed. "HE NEEDS TO REVIST THE SCHOOL OF DRIVING!"

"YEAH!" Undyne cackled with a huge grin. Spears began to float behind her. "Let's school that jerk!"

Papyrus nodded and said, "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, MAKE THE BEST TEACHER! I WILL TAKE HIM FOR PRACTICE ROUNDS IN MY VEHICLE!"

"YEAH! Fuhuhu! With him tied up UNDER the car! Let's run him over!"

Papyrus began to visibly sweat. The spears were multiplying around Undyne the more he worked her up. "I BELIEVE HE NEEDS TO REMAIN INTACT IF HE IS TO RELEARN ANYTHING."

"We'll only rip a few of his limbs off! FUHUH! Let's take 'em to class! Let's go, Frisk protection squad!"

Undyne raced off with long strides and a battle cry. She flung a spear so it landed in front of the car that was trying to leave the parking lot. The vehicle then was showered in more so it was completely boxed in. Afraid for the life of the human driver, Papyrus promptly followed with an indiscernible plead.

Frisk pulled on Sans jacket and gave him a patient smile. _'_ _I_ _'_ _m okay._ _'_

"i'm glad, kiddo." Sans looked away in slight abashment. "sorry if i hurt ya yanking on you like that."

Frisk gave him two thumbs up. _'_ _They won_ _'_ _t hurt him, will they?_ _'_

"nah. pap's there so he'll keep undyne under control. 'course, i wouldn't be complaining if he didn't."

 _'_ _Sans!_ _'_

"just jokin', kid."

Frisk slid their hand into his and the two headed to the car.

"kinda."

Thankfully, not a single person was harmed during the aftermath of the stoplight incident. After having—what Toriel described as—a polite, civil, no-spears-through-limbs kind of conversation, Sans pulled the car around to pick Toriel and the others back up after they were done talking to the man in the vehicle. Once Undyne was dropped back off at her house, they headed on home. Upon arriving and working together to put the groceries away, Sans and Frisk got into a rigorous game of rock, paper, scissors while Papyrus headed to his room to check up on his internet following and Toriel settled in by the window with a book.

"hey, frisk? wanna watch some hotdogs explode in the microwave?"

 _'_ _Are you kidding?!_ _'_

Sans and Frisk rushed off to the kitchen. Toriel heaved a sigh and tried to ignore the weird noises and laughter coming from the kitchen. She supposed she couldn't put a stop to the nonsense if it meant the two of them were bonding.

"it's all science, kiddo. oh, yeah, speaking of science, we should finish your project. the science fair is coming up, isn't it?"

There was a sickening squelching noise and a pop followed by Frisk giggling and the child's feet rapping on the tile.

"it's tomorrow? heh, welp, we really procrastinated, didn't we? yeah, yeah you're right. don't sweat it, we'll finish in no time. huh? yeah, i guess so. nah, it's safe. hehe, c'mon ya really think _i,_ of all people, would let you take something _unsafe_ to school? ayyy, that's the spirit."

 **SCIENCE START!**

"wait, wait, we gotta get your trifold board."

 **SCIENCE** **…** **PAUSE(?)!**

Sans hovered over what they had picked up from the store for the project with a lazy swish of his hand. He laid out the stuff they needed on the table, assembling the markers, paper, scissors, and other supplies they had around the house. Toriel tried not to pay attention when various objects floated from the living room and Papyrus's room, past her head, and into the kitchen. If anything she tried to bury her nose farther in her book. She would keep her ears tuned for any noises of mischief.

 **SCIENCE START!**

"if we're gonna do this right, we're going to need safety stuff. more of a fashion statement than a precaution," Sans remarked.

 **RELUCTANT** **…** **SCIENCE** **…** **PAUSE.**

Lab coats and safety goggles popped onto the table out of nowhere. Frisk happily donned a lab coat that was much too big for them and a stylish(?) pair of glasses. For some reason Sans gave them a tentative smile. He appeared reminiscent.

"lookin' good, buddo."

 _'_ _Ready?_ _'_ Frisk asked.

Sans grinned and ruffled their hair. "cue the montage."

 **SCIENCE! START!**

* * *

Excited laughter and nervous murmurs resounded through the gymnasium as students, teachers, and parents alike milled about the plethora of stands and experiments that were lined around the gym. Potato batteries, baking soda volcanoes, solar system displays, colored water, and wilted plants were scattered around, each project as intimidating to Frisk as the next. They wrung their hands nervously at the thought of the approaching judges making their way through the projects.

A short distance away Frisk's whole entourage stood talking with other families: both humans and monsters alike. Asgore was standing contently (although looking rather out of place among the much shorter people around him) with a golden star-shaped ballon in his hand that he was waiting to give to Frisk after the award ceremony. Papyrus was talking to Sans who has swapped out his usual hoodie for a brightly colored t-shirt with the words _I make science puns periodically_ plastered on the front. Toriel was conversing happily with other mothers around her. Mettaton was eyeing a small, barely functioning robot prototype that someone had bought at toy store and was presenting as their own. Undyne was listening to Alphys gush about the different projects, the monster completely enraptured by her girlfriend.

Frisk caught the skeleton brothers' gaze. They were given an enthusiastic wave and a laid-back wink. The little human couldn't help but give them a little smile in response.

 _'_ _I_ _'_ _m nervous,_ _'_ they told them by pointing to their chest and then shaking their hands as if they had just drunk a dozen cups of espresso.

Sans nodded his head in the direction of a stand of potted plants. He then raised his hands and signed in response.

 _'_ _i_ _'_ _m_ _ **root**_ _ing for you, kid._ _'_

Papyrus chose to yell instead. "YOU CAN DO IT, HUMAN! I BELIEVE IN YOU!"

Frisk took a deep breath when the judges neared them. They were standing at Amelia's and Olly's station and observing the homemade electromagnet they had made. The pair were both wearing their usual matching blue sweaters with a gold stripe in the front.

"I think this is far too advanced for you to have made it," one of the judges scoffed.

Frisk's heart plummeted into their stomach. One of the judges was one the women from the last PTA meeting.

"Nuh-uh," Olympio protested. "I made it all by myself. I made the inclinometer too, it's to test the magnetic field my magnet gives off!"

"That's very impressive!" Another judge, a volunteer Frisk didn't recognize, praised. "What grade are you in?"

"We're in the second grade!" Olly said happily. Amelia, who had been slowly reading lips, gave a proud nod after a few seconds.

"Even if you did make it, she can't be at your stand for the same project. She would have to make her own," the PTA woman commented scornfully.

Olly's wings flapped in agitation. "Lia helped me put everything together!"

 _'_ _But we_ _'_ _re twins!_ _'_ Amelia argued.

"And why does that matter? We're twins," Olly voiced for the both of them.

"You two are _not_ twins," the woman sneered.

"Yeah we are! We're both red _and_ we both have the same parents. Why wouldn't we be twins?"

Amelia crossed her arms. Olly swiftly copied her. Frisk supposed that did make sense. Amelia had red hair and Olympio had red scales. If they weren't wearing matching shirts and sweaters they usually had the same colored clothes on. Now that Frisk thought about it, Amelia and Olympio never went anywhere or did anything without one another. It was as if they were attached at the hip.

"Maybe because you're adopted?" the woman ridiculed.

"Uh… _yeah_ it's called _genetics_ ever heard of it?" Olly pointed out as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

The other judges didn't know whether to be uncomfortable or laugh. They settled for nervous titters.

"That doesn't make sense though. How do two humans have a MONSTER child?"

Olly shrugged. His wings widened as he stretched and put his hands on his hips. He gave a toothy smile that caused the PTA women to grimace and flinch in horror at the sight of his sharpened set of canines and incisors. "They adopted me. I'm only in the second grade. I don't know what genetics are yet!"

For some reason this was very familiar to Frisk.

The judges moved on after examining Olympio's and Amelia's display and Olympio showing them how his magnet worked. The PTA woman grumbled under her breath and took notes down on her clipboard.

 _'_ _Go Frisk!_ _'_ Amelia signed when the judges moved over to her friend's stand.

The child stood while the judges surveyed their project. They folded their hands behind their back and rocked slightly on the balls of their feet. They offered smiles whenever the judges glanced over at them. The PTA woman could only scowl.

Sans watched as the volunteers looked over Frisk's stand. He couldn't help but shove his hands into the pockets of his shorts in order to hide the antsy magic flaring up where ligaments were supposed to exist. Frisk's stands was one of the last in the gym and now would be the nerve-wracking wait to see who placed in the competition. He found himself shifting his weight between feet especially at the sight of Helen wearing a severe frown as she scrutinized Frisk's trifold board.

"Sans." Toriel touched his spine lightly. "It is going to be alright."

"i know, i know," Sans muttered. "i can't stand that woman."

"I think you are… **overreacting**."

Sans stopped in mid sway and swiveled to face Toriel.

"i don't think you understand the **gravity** of the situation," Sans quipped with a grin.

Toriel chuckled. "I believe I am **relative** ly aware of it."

Wow, Toriel really was something. His SOUL felt lighter already. Luckily Papyrus wasn't listening or else they would have been getting a skull full by now.

"let's not let this **evolve** into an argument."

"I am **positive** it will not."

"did you hear that oxygen and potassium went on a date? it went **ok**."

Toriel snorted which only caused Sans ribs to ache in order not to keep from bursting into laughter. "I thought oxygen was dating magnesium. **OMg**."

 _i_ _'_ _m in love,_ Sans thought. _holy_ _fuck. i_ _'_ _m in love, i_ _'_ _m in love, i_ _'_ _m in_ _—_

"Actually, o-oxygen asked nitrogen o-out f-first but they said **NO** ," Alphys broke in, stealing Sans' thunder. He didn't mind. He was too busy trying to shake the stars and hearts from his eyes.

"THAT IS TOO BAD," Papyrus said. "PERHAPS THEY ONLY LIKED THEM PLATONICALLY."

"Nah!" Undyne laughed. "Oxygen was too much of a loser for nitrogen!"

"WE WILL HAVE TO TAKE THEM TO THE GYM. YOU ARE VERY GOOD AT WINNING THERE!"

"good thing we're already at a gym, pap," Sans told him.

"WOWIE! WILL WE SEE NITROGEN HERE?"

"Ladies and gentlemen if I may have your attention please!"

The gym began to quiet down as they prepared to announce the winners of the fair. The judges were integrating back into the crowd with the other adults. As sixth through third place was announced, Sans prodded Toriel lightly on the arm.

"'ey, tori," the shorter skeleton brother uttered. "what did one cell say to its sister cell that stepped on its toe?"

Toriel raised an eyebrow.

" **mitosis**."

They both fought very hard to stifle their giggles.

"And the second place winner for this year's science fair…" the announcer began to declare. "Frisk! And their, uh…self-sustaining tornado project?"

Frisk came forth to the middle of the gym with a surprised look on their face. As they were given a ribbon, the audience clapped politely as their family burst into rowdy cheers. Undyne bench pressed Papyrus in exhilaration with a mighty "YEEEAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Go Frisk!"

"OH MY GOD! THAT'S MY HUMAN!"

"Whoo hoo!"

"We are so proud!"

Sans gave Frisk a thumbs up as his kid beamed and held their ribbon up for their family to see. His chest swelled as he called, "great job, frisk!"

As the award ceremony wrapped up, Frisk's family flooded over to their stand. Asgore handed Frisk their balloon and sat the little human up on his shoulders after being engulfed in clamorous group hug.

Mettaton kicked his leg up in the air. "That was absolutely _beautiful!_ "

As Sans watched the loving chaos from a little distance away, someone cleared their throat noisy beside him.

"Of course she would place, wouldn't she? With all the favoritism that goes on in this school…and isn't that a little dangerous? You could have taped two bottles together and it would have been safer and easier. But you wouldn't know. You've barely been a parent long enough and haven't been on the PTA long enough either to know the science fair regulations. "

Helen's annoying dialect was enough to wipe the dopey grin right off is face. Sans took in her hoop earrings and cheap makeup with a _tsk_. Were they really going to start this right now? Sans had had enough at the last PTA meeting. He didn't feel like expending anymore energy on the Platoon of Treacherous Adults.

"well, you know, frisk is pretty adventurous," Sans explained. "they, heh, wouldn't settle for store bought tornadoes."

Helen's high waisted jeans and starched polo were especially irritating today. She probably didn't even know what element she was wearing on her breast pocket.

"heheh, then again, i guess science isn't for everybody."

Helen's brow raised. "Are you _implying_ something?"

Sans painted on a facade of surprise. "oh no helen, just that me and my kid didn't rely on google to get an idea."

"My son did win, you know."

And she was one to talk about favoritism. Anger flared up in Sans and he jabbed a finger in the brunette's direction.

"fight me, helen."

"My word!"

Helen stomped off to where her son was standing with a golden trophy resting beside his oversized baking soda volcano. A spectacled man Sans assumed was his father was standing beside him in a short sleeved button up and a bow tie. He appeared to be very happy as he clapped his son on the back. His son ignored him as he played on the tablet his eyes were glued to.

Sans stumbled as he was nearly knocked off his feet by a small human projectile. Frisk had launched themselves at the skeleton and wrapped their arms around him as tight as they could with their face pressed into the lower section of his sternum.

"hehe, great job bud," Sans congratulated.

Frisk jumped back with the biggest grin on their face and began signing so rapidly Sans had trouble keeping up.

"whoa, kid, slow down i can't read what you're sayin'. it's like you're excited or somethin'."

Frisk's hands flapped and they signed again. The balloon tied around their wrist bounced as they moved. Although they were slower this time, Sans was unable to pay attention to what they were trying to tell him. The kid was as bright and lit up as a Gyftrot tree. Their smile stretched from ear to ear and they looked as happy and as confident at could be.

Sans heard Timmy laugh behind him and Helen jibe about his "obnoxious" family, how they "didn't have any manners" and something about Frisk and their project. Sans' magic boiled in his bones.

"hey, kid, i'll catch up to you guys in a minute. go on."

Frisk nodded and their arms fluttered again as they hopped in a circle. They held their ribbon up in the air for Papyrus and Undyne to see and the pair got even more riled up. Mettaton struck another dramatic pose and began to do a cancan.

Helen was crossing behind his back to head out of the gym and Sans seized the opportunity.

"hope you're proud of yourself helen," he shot over his shoulder. "i know you made that while timmy was shovin' his face full of potato chips."

Helen froze.

"our kid liberated an entire civilization while timmy over there was probably eating. kid can't zip up his own pants but he built a volcano? yeah right."

Helen began to sweat nervously. It appeared she could feel her sins crawling on her back.

"i'll see you at the next meeting helen and leave your nasty gluten free cookies at home ain't nobody gonna eat that shit."

* * *

 **Thank you so much as always! I really like this chapter and I hope you like it too!**

 **Science fair argument with Helen is from Stewart (quicksilver26 dot .com) and the beginning flashback at the start of the chapter is from flavor-text-chara dot tumblr dot com. I do not own either of them, they were only used as inspiration!**

 **My exams went super well and my spring break went by way too fast! I'm pumped to finally have some free time though! :)**

 **As always,**

 **Sav**


	8. Your Best Friend

_"_ _So you managed to save everyone._ _"_

 _They watched as Asriel crouched down among the bed of golden flowers he was tending too, paw gently cupping the blooms as he inhaled their sweet fragrance. Frisk closed their eyes and basked in the shimmer of light that cascaded from where the heavens peeked through the top of Mt. Ebbot above and listened to the chirps and hums of birds on the mountain top._

 _"_ _That_ _'_ _s nice,_ _"_ _Asriel whispered. Frisk smiled._

 _"_ _But Frisk_ _…"_

 _The child_ _'_ _s eyes shot open when Asriel spoke again. His voice multiplied into several as he spoke in distorted overtones and undertones. Frisk watched as he slowly turned around._

 _"_ _Why didn_ _'_ _t you save me?_ _"_

 _The calm red of his eyes no longer existed. They were replaced by matte obsidian, bags weighing beneath his eyes and pointed teeth emerging from his gums._

 _Frisk gasped as their breathing increased. They tried to step back but Asriel grabbed their arm and sunk his claws into the human_ _'_ _s flesh._

 _"_ _Why didn_ _'_ _t you help me?_ _"_

 _The child_ _'_ _s heart began to race and their sharp inhales picked up in speed. They gasped and panted for air that had been sucked from their lungs as soon as Asriel had swiveled to face them. It was all their fault._

 _The little human bit back a scream as vines grew from Asriel_ _'_ _s torso, ripped through his sweater, wrapped around him, grew up his arm, and from his melting eye sockets._

 _"_ _Help me!_ _"_

 _Frisk began to cry as they struggled and flailed, desperately trying to yank themselves away from Asriel_ _'_ _s clutch. It was all their fault. Barbed vines crept up Frisk_ _'_ _s arm and wrapped around their body the harder they cried. It was all their fault._

 _"_ _Why did you leave me, Frisk? Help me! I_ _'_ _m so alone, Frisk!_ _"_

 _Frisk buried their face in their free hand and began to sob. The creepers coiled around their neck and burned where they touched their skin. It was all their fault, it was all their fault, it was all their fault_ _—_

 _"_ _I_ _'_ _m so afraid, Frisk! Why did you leave me? Help me! Help me! Help me! Help me!_ _"_

 _And then it was all gone. There was a soft hand on their shoulder._

 _"_ _Frisk_ _…"_ _came a gentle voice. The human looked over their shoulder from where they were kneeling. Asriel was behind them. He was crying too._

 _"_ _Don_ _'_ _t you have anything better to do?_ _"_

Frisk shot up with a gasp as a bawl escaped their throat and lungs screamed. They sucked in a huge gulp of air and clutched the blankets in their white knuckled fists.

"H-HUMAN?!"

Frisk wheezed. They had forgotten Papyrus was there. The child watched as the skeleton sat up and rubbed his bleary eye sockets. "ARE YOU…"

Papyrus took one look at the petrified, crying child and scooped them up into his arms.

"THERE THERE, FRISK. EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT. THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL PROTECT YOU NO MATTER WHAT. I PROMISE!"

* * *

 _Through the blizzard he could make out two distinct figures._

 _"_ _HALT, HUMAN!_ _"_

 _Sans could barely make out his voice in the howling gale. He trudged closer, making his way through the trees and trying to fight his way through the storm._

 _"_ _I SEE YOU ARE APPROACHING. ARE YOU OFFERING A HUG OF ACCEPTANCE? WOWIE! MY LESSONS ARE ALREADY WORKING! I, PAPYRUS, WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!_ _"_

 _Sans watched in horror as the human raised their weapon. They lunged at his brother but stopped in mid step and stood eerily still. Their head lashed back and forth and their hand twitched as if they were fighting in some kind of internal battle._

 _A noise escaped their throat. Their hands came up to cover their ears. Their brownish-red eyes lightened to a murky amber._

 _"_ _P-P-Pa...py_ _…_ _rus_ _…"_

 _Their eyes lightened more with each syllable. Sans began to quake. He didn_ _'_ _t know the human could talk. Something about the hidden tenderness in their voice sparked something within him. He fought to move to his brother_ _'_ _s side but something had caused him to become rooted to the spot._

 _The human_ _'_ _s back arched and they released another noise. They scratched at their chest and throat as if something was building up in their throat and they were trying to suppress it before they became completely suffocated._

 _"_ _H-HUMAN?_ _"_ _His brother was unnerved by the sight._

 _An animalistic rumble escaped the human_ _'_ _s mouth and they let out a demented laugh which echoed and turned into the distressed crying of a child. Their eyes kept shifting color between amber and brownish-red._

 _"_ _ARE YOU IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE?_ _"_

 _Papyrus took a step toward the human._

 _"_ _L-L-Le...lea_ _…_ _leave_ _…_ _m-me_ _…_ _ah-ah-alone!_ _"_ _they yelled._ _"_ _I-I-I w-won_ _'_ _t! I won_ _'_ _t, I won_ _'_ _t, I won_ _'_ _t, I won_ _'_ _t!_ _"_

 _"_ _HUMAN? PLEASE, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?_ _"_

 _"_ _Help me, please,_ _"_ _they sobbed as they pounded on the ground. Their body contorted and they screeched up at the sky and pulled at their hair._ _"_ _Get o-out! G-Get out! G-G-Get! Out!_ _"_

 _"_ _Quiet!_ _"_ _came another voice from their lips._ _"_ _We have to!_ _"_

 _"_ _N-No we don_ _'_ _t!_ _"_ _the softer voice begged._ _"_ _P-P-P-Please!_ _"_

 _"_ _Yes we do! They say we have to! It_ _'_ _s what we_ _'_ _ve been taught!_ _"_

 _"_ _I-I c-can_ _'_ _t! H-He_ _'_ _s m-my f-friend!_ _"_

 _At the word friend Papyrus crouched down and placed a hesitant hand on the human_ _'_ _s shoulder._

 _"_ _YOU THINK ME AS YOUR_ _…_ _FRIEND?_ _"_

 _Papyrus wrapped his arms around the limp, sobbing human in a hug._

 _"_ _I BELIEVE IN YOU, HUMAN! WHATEVER AILS YOU, YOU CAN OVERCOME_ _—"_

 _He was cut off by the spasm of the human_ _'_ _s arm and slash of a toy knife. He head rolled off his shoulders and was decapitated in one clean sweep._

 _Whatever had frozen him prevented him from opening his mouth in a scream._

 _The human fell to their hands and knees and sobbed harder than before, wails intermingled with hysteric laughter._

 _"_ _P-P-Papyrus!_ _"_

 _One eye was a bright red and the other was a light brown._

 _"_ _Oh, shut up. You know it had to be done._ _"_

 _The blade in their hand trembled. The child was fighting between standing and kneeling._

 _"_ _What else were we supposed to do, Frisk? Stop fighting, we have to move on._ _"_

 _Their arm shot up and the knife turned so it was aimed at their neck._

 _"_ _What are you doing?_ _"_

 _"_ _I_ _…_ _WON_ _'_ _T!_ _"_

 _The child shoved the blade through their neck and flopped onto the ground. Sans reached out as the world was enveloped in darkness._

Sans rolled over in bed. Even though he couldn't be sick, he still felt the need to empty the contents of his nonexistent stomach until he was empty and numb. He sat up shakily at the sound of a cry. He hopped out of bed, stepped into his slippers, and headed to the other bedroom.

"H-HUMAN?! ARE YOU…THERE THERE, FRISK. EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT. THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL PROTECT YOU NO MATTER WHAT. I PROMISE!"

Sans knocked on the door and creaked it open to find a sobbing Frisk wrapped up in Papyrus's arms. He approached his brother and the human, scooted up into Papyrus's race car bed, and gently placed a boney hand over the child's where they were positioned over their ears.

At his touch Frisk's muffled voice came from Papyrus's sternum. "S-Sans?"

"hiya, squirt," he said with a worried smile. "didja have another nightmare?"

Frisk nodded into Papyrus's chest. They took a minute to collect themselves and then pulled their face off of their friend's torso.

 _'_ _I_ _'_ _m sorry for scaring you,_ _'_ Frisk signed to Papyrus when they managed to calm down enough.

"IT IS QUITE ALRIGHT, HUMAN. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM NOT SO EASILY FRIGHTENED. INSTEAD, I WAS MERELY AFRAID FOR YOU!" Papyrus guaranteed after deciphering their trembling sign language.

"c'mon, let's get to bed, kiddo. toriel may be at the assembly with congress but she'll still have my tailbone if we stay up too late," Sans said with a wink. At the slightest shift when he began to get out of the bed, Frisk clung to him. He stopped and looked down at the human who's fingers were wrapped up in the front of his t-shirt. They took a deep breath and released him to sign, _'_ _Please stay with me._ _'_

Sans sighed. "i suppose. only for you though, kid."

The smaller of the two skeletons squeezed into the bed besides the human. Papyrus, who had been watching the two interact, clapped his hands.

"WOWIE! IT SEEMS AS IF OUR SLEEPOVER IS BECOMING A THREE-WAY!"

Sans cringed. "yeah, uh, please never say that again."

Frisk curled up between the two and nuzzled their face into Sans's shirt while intertwining one of their legs with Papyrus's.

"looks like a frisk sandwich," sans commented. He pulled the covers up over the three of them and smirked.

"SANS NO."

" **lettuce** go to bed."

"MY NIGHT IS OFFICIALLY RUINED."

Frisk couldn't help but laugh. Their face fell at the thought of going back to sleep.

* * *

 _"_ _Chara_ _…"_

Frisk tunneled deeper under the covers. A small breath escaped them. The world was closing in.

 _"_ _I'm so alone, Chara._ _"_

It was all their fault.

 _"_ _I'm so afraid, Chara._ _"_

It was all their fault. It was all their fault, it was all their fault, it was _all their fault._

 _"_ _Chara, I_ _…"_

Someone was crying but Frisk wasn't sure who. Their hands were vibrating and their heart was racing and they wanted to disappear and they wanted to scream and they felt hot and cold and sick and tiny and numb all at the same time and it was all their fault, it was all their fault—

" _I_ _…_ _"_

Frisk's eyes slowly opened.

* * *

Frisk reached a hand out and lightly touched the glowing point where the present formed a juncture with the sprawling labyrinth of time outside of their home. The child closed their eyes as determination coursed through them and then promptly SAVED. They weren't sure what course their trip was going to take, but they needed to be ready.

After awakening from a fitful bout of sleep that had caused the child to finally make up their mind, they snuck out of bed while the two snoring skeleton brothers were deep in their slumber. Quickly they had gotten dressed, pulled on their favorite sweater over their t-shirt, and crept out to the small shed behind their house where Toriel kept her gardening tools.

Now, with a flashlight in hand, a flower pot and spade stuffed in their inventory along with their trusty stick, favorite bandages, and a slice of pie just to be safe, Frisk made their way through the foggy gloom that had settled over Ebott to where a mountain rose to touch the sky in the distance.

The small human had barely been able to get an ounce of sleep over the past week. They had been haunted by the reoccurring nightmare of a warped Asriel begging to be liberated, pleading with Frisk to take them out of the mountain too. So when Frisk woke from yet again another nightmare, something about it was different from the last. It was as if they had felt the presence of the Friend, the one who had been gone so long, the one who told Frisk that if they jumped into Mt. Ebott everything would be alright and it was only time finally falling into place with fate.

Even though they knew it would be much shorter, Frisk didn't want to risk injuring themselves if they leaped once again into that gaping mouth and let the Underground consume them. Instead, the child made their way to the top of the mountain, where the morning mist curled around their feet and the town settled into the fog below them. The human pushed up toward the heavens until they were face to face with where the cavern opened after the shattering of the barrier and life spilled out of Mt. Ebott.

Frisk took a deep breath as memories consumed them.

 _"_ _Oh my_ _…"_

 _"_ _Isn_ _'_ _t it beautiful, everyone?_ _"_

They were standing with their family as the monsters took their first breaths of fresh air. Toriel had given them a delighted smile and squeezed their hand. It had been the first time in the child's life that someone told them that they were proud of them. After that, it was a common occurrence in their family as each member told them how happy they were in their own way.

Frisk steeled themselves and gave the awaiting darkness a determined nod. The child flicked on their flashlight and stepped into the cavern.

* * *

Back at their home, Sans fumbled and rose to find the bed missing its human inhabitant. Panic didn't set in until the child couldn't be found in their home or yard.

"pap," Sans said, shaking his brother. "pap, get up."

"WHAT IS IT, BROTHER?" Papyrus sat up and blinked several times before looking around. He spotted his tight frown and nervous expression and kicked off the covers. "WHAT IS THE MATTER?"

"it's frisk. they're gone."

* * *

Frisk's hand tightened around their flashlight as they walked through New Home. They couldn't ignore the emptiness burning a hole in their chest.

" _A long time ago_ _…_ _a human fell into the Ruins. Injured by its fall, the human called out for help. Asriel, the king's son, heard the human's call. He brought the human back to the castle. Over time, Asriel and the human became like siblings. The King and Queen treated the human child as their own. The Underground was full of hope._ _"_

Frisk clutched at their heart. _"_ _Then_ _…_ _one day...the human became very ill._ _"_

They could remember their companion being shocked during all of this, their eyes wide in amazement. They remembered their head lowering during the second half of the tale and horror being written across their face in a grimace. Frisk had finally been able to hold their hand.

 _"_ _Wounded, Asriel stumbled home. He entered the castle and collapsed. His dust spread across the garden. The kingdom fell into despair._ _"_

Their companion began to shake as they dissolved into tears. Frisk clung to them tight in order to assure them they were not alone. _"_ _The king and queen had lost two children in one night. The humans had once again taken everything from us._ _"_

Frisk crossed through the threshold of New Home and toward the elevator.

 _"_ _It's not long now. King Asgore will let us go. King Asgore will give us hope. King Asgore will save us all. You should be smiling, too. Aren't you excited? Aren't you happy? You're going to be_ free _._ _"_

* * *

Above ground, Sans and Papyrus dialed each household that Frisk could possibly be at. Although Sans was initially dead set against it (he didn't want everyone to know what a failure of a guardian he was), it was all Papyrus's idea. He couldn't stop his brother in action if he tried. If Sans had a heart it would have been racing.

To Frisk's surprise, the River Person was waiting for them in Hotland.

"Tralala…I figured it would only be a matter of time," they told them.

Frisk wanted to ask them a thousand questions. They followed the River Person's billowing cloak to the next room where the boat awaited.

"Tralala…are you aware of the prophecy?" the River Person asked conversationally.

Frisk bit the inside of their lip. It sounded vaguely familiar.

"The Angel...The One Who Has Seen The Surface...they will return. And the Underground will go empty."

Frisk gave them a nod. A few minutes later they spoke again with elected a sense of severity into the child so strong it frightened them.

"Tralala…beware of the man who speaks in hands."

* * *

 _"_ _Hrm_ _…_ _hello?_ _"_

In Ebott, Sans was swallowing his pride.

"heya, asgore."

The tired voice on the other end of the line perked up. _"_ _Howdy, Sans. It is nice to speak with you, but I do believe it is a little early. Is something the matter?_ _"_

"is frisk there with you?"

 _"_ _Frisk? No, I thought they were at your home._ _"_

Sans bit back a groan. Asgore was the last person on his call list. "papyrus and i woke up and they weren't in bed anymore. we're trying to see if they went to someone's house."

 _"_ _I will be right over._ _"_

There was a click as Asgore hung up the phone. Undyne was yelling about something in the living space. Sans' eye pulsed with a flicker of anxious magic.

* * *

 _"_ _I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN!_ _"_

Frisk smiled at the conveniently-shaped lamp and shook their head. Sometimes they wished they could go back and re-meet their best friend all over again.

The child gave the heavy doors to the Ruins a tentative push. At the snail's pace they swung open. Frisk made their way up the stairs into Toriel's empty home. They worked their way back through the puzzles by memory until they came to the very room in the Underground they had fallen into.

Their breath hitched at the sight.

Among the bed of golden flowers one stood much different from the rest. It was drooped over in dejection, petals folded in and pointing toward the ground. At the sound of footsteps it turned around. The flower's eyes dilated as its petals flew open. Then its gaze narrowed and its face split into a wide grin.

"Well, well, well…if it isn't the Underground's favorite human."

Frisk's heart ached at the sight of Asriel crammed back into a flower without a SOUL.

"What are you doing here? Bored of the Surface already?" They weren't surprised when his face twisted into a sickening grin. "Ready to RESET already? Ready to finally have some fun?"

Frisk, as usual, was silent. They stood watching Flowey knowing that deep down, Toriel's son was in there somewhere. They were waiting for him to get everything off his chest so they could proceed with their plan.

"Or maybe you've just got some kind of gross sentimentality. What ARE you doing here, anyway? And without any of your friends to protect you?" His grin grew at the uncomfortable look on Frisk's face. "You snuck out, didn't you? I could kill you over and over and no one would even know, would they? Hee hee hee!"

Flowey's petal's flexed. "But that won't happen. Thanks to you, our little game has ended. It's all your fault Frisk. YOU'RE the one who decided to have some kind of attachment to me. YOU'RE the one who took advantage of me in my moment of weakness."

Frisk's hands curled and uncurled by their side. They resisted the urge to put a hand over one of their ears.

* * *

"I'll take the first team and we'll check the park, Mettaton can take the second, they'll check downtown, and Asgore, you can take the third to Lea Hill. Be back here within the hour and text or call if you find Frisk."

Undyne gave them all a firm nod as her gaze swept around the room. As the teams began to head out, Sans felt a hand as big as his head land lightly upon his shoulder.

"Everything is going to be alright. We will find them," Asgore assured.

Sans began to sweat and gave Asgore a nervous smile. He wondered if Asgore secretly hated him and was blaming him for Frisk going missing. Of course he was, it was all their fault. It was always his fault, he was so useless and no one like him and he was a waste of space—

"hehe…yeah."

* * *

"So…what is it you want, then?" Flowey asked. "Are you just here to annoy me? It's not like you're gonna say anything, anyway."

Frisk equipped the spade and the flower pot.

"You sicko!" Flowey hissed at the sight of the tools they had pulled from their inventory, fangs out and body curled away from the human. A ring of "friendliness pellets" formed around his head. "Are you here just to mess with me? Is this some kind of sick joke?!"

The child took a careful step toward the flower when he snarled, "DIE!"

Frisk, expecting the attack, ducked out of the way and rolled across the ground when the bullets pounded into the dirt where their face had just been.

"I don't need you!" Flowey yelled. Frisk dodged to the right, fell on one knee, and bent underneath another jet of bullets. They then rolled again and jumped over a few more pellets. "I don't need ANyb—"

Flowey stopped in mid sentence as if struck by an overwhelming sense of grief. He trembled and drooped.

Frisk worked up their courage and chose their words carefully, fighting hard not to stammer. "You don't deserve to be all alone, Asriel."

It was silent. Finally, after the span of several minutes, Flowey spoke.

"I know," he said to no one that Frisk could see. "You're right."

Flowey glanced behind him toward the center of the flower bed as if trying to make eye contact with something that didn't exist. Frisk took a deep breath and walked toward Flowey. They were not stopped this time.

"Frisk…"

The child crouched down beside him. He still refused to look up at them.

"Don't you have anything better to do?"

With a gentle hand Frisk dug a hole around Flowey and scooped him up into the spade. The child gingerly set him down in the pot with enough soil packed around him to keep him stuck firm in the pot. The little human gave him a forgiving smile when he stared up at him and pulled him into a hug, brushing a kiss where his forehead was supposed to be. To Frisk's astonishment his petals folded back and he leaned into the embrace.

And Frisk turned their back, Flowey peered over Frisk's arm to where dawn light was seeping down from the Surface and bathing the patch of golden flowers in a heavenly glow. There, in the center of the bed, stood a child in a green sweater with a single yellow stripe across the front and a mop of chestnut hair. Their head was bowed and their arms rested by their side.

"Goodbye, Chara," Flowey whispered too low for Frisk to make out the words.

The child's head raised and they watched their companion carry away their best friend. It would now be them who was alone in the Underground. Perhaps they would finally be able to rest as they stood vigil at their grave that had blossomed into a bed of golden flowers. They offered Asriel a kind wave as their eyes crinkled and their cheeks flushed. They forced their presence from their body and caused it to buckle until it turned into the voice their best friend knew too well and loved all too much.

 _"_ _Goodbye_ _…_ _Asriel_ _…"_

* * *

Sans was expending his magic to pop around Ebott in search of Frisk just as the human was emerging from the cavern at the top of Mt. Ebott. Flowey couldn't hide his awe at the sight of the world above the Underground. He let the crisp morning breeze wash over his petals before flaring them up so Frisk wouldn't see his wonder and bent back down in a pout. The human let out a little laugh and headed back to their town that sat below the mountain.

Trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach that only seemed to descend lower and lower with each minute that passed without knowing where his human was at, Sans popped back into his home to check and see if they had returned home yet. Sans rubbed his face and bit back a grown. Their bed was still empty and the threat of Frisk's absence still hung above him like a guillotine. He threw back the covers to Toriel's bed to find it empty. He then trudged back outside to attempt to find his bearings, his SOUL causing magic to flare up wildly in his chest.

Just was he was about to turn left and head down the street, something caused him to first check the right. There, walking toward him with their arms wrapped around a drooping flower in a pot, was Frisk, usual skinned knees and all. Warmth flooded through his body and he laughed at the sight of them. It took everything he had not to run toward the child like a character in some cheesy romcom.

"kid! what the fresh heck, frisk, we've been looking everywhere for you!"

Not to mention that he had been worried sick about them, so much so that it felt like the cadence in his SOUL would never fall from it's racing tempo and nothing would ever be right in the world again.

Frisk gave him a guilty look and their head canted down toward the ground in an apology. They moved the flower pot behind their back and their shoulders turned inward.

"you can't go runnin' off in the middle of the night just 'cuz you feel like it, you fart face. what wudda happened if you got hurt, huh? and pap or i couldn't get to you?"

He wasn't one to scold but it alleviated the pressure that had been building up in his skull and threatening to explode from his ribs.

Frisk appeared to be absolutely ashamed of themselves. They scuffed their feet on the ground and blushed profusely. Sans yanked the kid into a quick hug before stepping away and whipping out his cell. His bone fingers clacked over the screen as he shot Papyrus a text.

"you gonna tell me why you snuck out?"

Frisk swallowed hard. They then signed, _'_ _Later._ _'_

Sans knew the kid wouldn't keep anything from him unless it was important so he gave a slight dip of his head and let it slide for the time being.

The Frisk Protection Squad—as Undyne called them—were out patrolling Ebott in search for Frisk when they finally received the call from the oldest skeleton brother that Frisk was safe and sound. They immediately rushed over to Frisk's home. They found the child on the couch with an extreme look of self-reproach. They were pulled into hug after hug, each monster taking turns to yell at them and then tell them how happy they were that they were safe.

"Think you can pull that crap with me, huh punk? You made Papyrus cry like seven times!"

"DID NOT! AND IT WAS ONLY FIVE!"

"W-W-We were so worried!"

"Don't ever do that to us again, darling!"

"ooohhh…hi, frisk…we're so glad you're okay…."

Asgore was the only one who didn't yell at them. Instead, he pulled them up into a tight hug and buried his face in the child's hair. He took several deep breaths as if trying to memorize the moment and then set Frisk back down on their feet.

"It is alright, Frisk, I understand. I once knew someone who preferred night walks over daytime ones. Promise me next time you will leave a note?"

Once they had all funneled back out the house, back to their perspective homes, and Papyrus had lectured them on the importance of safety and how they weren't to go anywhere without him or another member of their family without permission, the two skeleton brothers tucked the little human back into Papyrus's race car bed. Frisk went back sleep without a single protest and drifted off as any child who had started their day much to early normally would.

Papyrus, who was an early riser regardless of any situation, hopped off to clean the kitchen and start on their morning meal of breakfast spaghetti. Sans, who had too much adrenaline racing through his bones to settle down for a nap, chose to sit watch by the sleeping child's side in case they decided to run off again. He would learn the reason for their disappearance later.

He paid no attention to the despondent flower napping on the windowsill.

* * *

 **Mostly plot but kinda filler. Somewhere in between maybe?**

 **ANYWAY FLOWER POT AU BITCHES**

 **peace,**

 **sav**


	9. Premonitions

_Frisk_ _'_ _s eyes flickered open as Chara gave them a soft tap._

 _"_ _Hey,_ _"_ _Chara greeted._ _"_ _Toriel left you some pie._ _"_

 _Frisk rubbed their eyes and sat up. Like before they had decided to take a nap, they let their gaze sweep around the room._

 _Upon arriving at Toriel_ _'_ _s home, Chara had been rather distressed. They kept asking where they were, asking where someone named Asriel and their dad was, exclaiming that Toriel_ _'_ _s home was not their home and how their house was in New Home. They attempted to interrogate Toriel, flinging many questions at the monster until eventually giving up and agreeing to explore the look-alike home with their new companion._

 _Frisk climbed out of the bed, shoved the whole piece of pie into their pocket, and gave Chara a patient smile. The uneasy child tried their best to return it._

 _Frisk lead the way out of the room and down the hall. They came to the first room beside their own that they could enter and stepped into a room that was entirely blue._

 _In their short time together, Frisk quickly found out that if Chara was comfortable enough, they were a fan of hearing themselves talk. Frisk guessed that their new friend could easily hold a conversation with a wall if they had the determination to do so. Because the littler human wasn_ _'_ _t one to speak much, they didn_ _'_ _t mind that Chara did the talking and explaining if there was something they couldn_ _'_ _t read or get upon first examination._

 _Unfortunately, Frisk soon found out that Chara was much more sarcastic than serious._

 _*Toriel_ _'_ _s small chair._

 _Chara put their hands on their hips and smirked._

 _*It_ _'_ _s name is Chairiel._

 _Frisk fought to remain passive but they ended up giggling. They pulled a book from Toriel_ _'_ _s bookshelf and flipped open to a random page. Chara read it for them._

 _*Typha_ _—_ _a subterranean plant with brown, oblong seedpods. More commonly known as a_ _"_ _water sausage._ _"_

 _Frisk gave them a funny look and put the book back before proceeding to open one of the drawers in a nearby dresser._

 _*SCANDALOUS!_

 _Frisk flinched slightly at Chara_ _'_ _s sudden increase in volume. The child was grinning._

 _*It_ _'_ _s Toriel_ _'_ _s sock drawer._

 _Deciding they were done snooping around Toriel_ _'_ _s room, Frisk stood in front of a plant they had never seen before._

 _*Ah, the cactus. Truly the most_ _tsundere_ _of plants._

 _As they were walking through the hallway to the living room to find Toriel, Chara pointed to one of the plants in the hallway with oblong seedpods._

 _*Oh! It_ _'_ _s a water sausage._

 _For the second time Frisk tried to hold Chara_ _'_ _s hand. They failed again but Chara didn_ _'_ _t reprimand them._

 _As they listened to Toriel tell Frisk how happy she was for them to be there and how she had lots of plans for them, Frisk signed to Toriel to tell her thank you._

 _"_ _What is it, my child? I am sorry, but I do not understand._ _"_

 _Frisk_ _'_ _s hands curled and uncurled. They took a deep breath and swallowed their fear. It would be alright if they just told her thank you. They wouldn_ _'_ _t get in trouble._

 _Instead of thanking Toriel, a force as familiar as the Other drove words from their mouth._

 _"_ _H-H-How do I e-exit the R-Ruins?_ _"_

 _"_ _What?_ _"_ _Toriel and Chara said un unison, both looking as terrified as the other._

 _Frisk was just as surprised as they were. But a presence like the Friend told them everything would be alright, that they had to reach the end of their journey for time and fate to finally align._

 _"This is your home now_ _…"_ _Toriel said slowly and hesitantly._ _"_ _Um_ _…_ _why don_ _'_ _t I tell you about this book I_ _'_ _m reading?_ _"_

 _*Sure!_

 _Frisk thought about Chara_ _'_ _s proposal but they decided to trust their gut even if their heart was screaming._

 _"_ _H-How do I l-leave t-t-the Ruins?_ _"_

 _Toriel grimaced and tittered nervously._ _"_ _How about an exciting snail fact? Did you know that snails_ _…_ _talk. Really. Slowly? Just kidding, snails don_ _'_ _t talk._ _"_

 _Toriel smiled and gave them a strained,_ _"_ _Interesting._ _"_

 _*Yeah. Chara suggested frantically._

 _"_ _I-I_ _'_ _m suh-s-sorry. I j-j-just_ _…_ _I-I_ _…"_ _Frisk blinked away the tears that were threatening to fill their eyes and felt a flood of resolve run through them._ _"_ _How do I leave the Ruins?_ _"_

 _Frisk and Chara watched as Toriel closed her book and got to her feet._ _"_ _I have to do something._ _"_ _She took off her glasses, set her stuff aside, and swallowed as a her face became stony._

 _"_ _Stay here._ _"_

 _Something within Frisk told the small child to follow._

 _"_ _Wait! Frisk! We can_ _'_ _t!_ _"_ _Chara protested. Their eyes were wide and their cheeks were flushed. They rushed after Frisk as the little human headed toward the stairs._ _"_ _T-This is a bad idea_ _…_ _we shouldn_ _'_ _t go down here, we shouldn_ _'_ _t disobey Mom._ _"_

 _Frisk balled their hands into fists and continued on with shaking arms._

 _"_ _You wish to know how to return_ _'_ _home,_ _'_ _do you now? Ahead of us lies the end of the Ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the Underground. I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave again. Now be a good child and go upstairs._ _"_

 _Frisk and Chara looked at one another. Chara shook their head and motioned for them to go back upstairs. Frisk, tears in their eyes, shook their head._

 _"_ _No, wait_ _—"_

 _"_ _Every human that falls down here meets the same fate,_ _"_ _Toriel said once she realized Frisk was still following her._ _"_ _I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. They die. You naive child_ _…_ _if you leave the Ruins_ _…_ _they_ _…_ Asgore _…_ _will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand? Go to your room._ _"_

 _"…_ _What?_ _"_ _Chara looked even paler. Their jaw had dropped and their eyes were completely dilated. They shook their head._ _"_ _Asgore will kill_ _…_ _?_ _"_ _The child wove their hands through their hair._ _"_ _No! That_ _'_ _s wrong! No, he_ _—_ _Dad would never_ _—_ _I don_ _'_ _t_ _…_ _I don_ _'_ _t understand! I don_ _'_ _t understand!_ _"_

 _Chara tried to pull on Toriel_ _'_ _s dress in vain. The monster kept walking and Chara stepped back in fear._ _"_ _Mom, please d-don_ _'_ _t_ _…_ _Mom, what_ _'_ _s going on? Where_ _'_ _s Dad? Where_ _'_ _s Asriel? What happened? Mom!_ _"_

 _Frisk took a deep breath and continued to follow their instincts. They refused to go back up to their room._

 _"_ _No, Frisk. No, stop._ _"_

 _Frisk turned around and face their companion._

 _"_ _Please, you_ _…_ _you have to trust me. Turn around. This isn_ _'_ _t right. Something is really wrong. Asgore would never_ _…"_

 _"_ _We have to find out,_ _"_ _Frisk told them, forehead wrinkled and eyes glistening in a plead as they spoke from their SOUL._ _"_ _We can do this together._ _"_

 _Chara gaped as Frisk headed after Toriel. The older child planted their feet to the ground and crossed their arms. They refused to budge._

 _"_ _Ah! No!_ _"_ _Chara cried as their feet began to skid over the ground. They trailed after Frisk entirely against their will as if bound to the smaller by an invisible chord. Chara kicked back against the force but ended up flopping to the ground. They rolled and attempted to dig their nails into the floor but were dragged along anyway. The child began to flail._ _"_ _Stop following her! I don_ _'_ _t want to! Frisk, please! Please go upstairs! Don_ _'_ _t make me go! I don_ _'_ _t want to go! LET ME STAY! Stop it! STOP! Asriel, help! I_ _'_ _m scared!_ _"_

 _"_ _Do not try to stop me,_ _"_ _Toriel warned over her shoulder as she strode on._ _"_ _This is your final warning._ _"_

 _Chara fell to their knees beside Frisk. Toriel had her back to them as she stood before a large, purple door with the same insignia burned into it as the one on the front of Toriel_ _'_ _s robe. Chara shuddered and bowed their head as the smaller of the two began taking deep breaths with a hand over one of their ears._

 _"_ _Please_ _…_ _Frisk_ _…"_ _Chara mumbled. They were defeated._ _"_ _Just_ _…_ _just go back. I_ _'_ _m begging you. Please do what she says._ _"_

 _Toriel flexed her clawed hands and straightened her back._ _"_ _You want to leave so badly? Hmph. You are just like the others._ _"_

 _"_ _Frisk_ _…_ _please_ _…"_

 _"_ _There is only one solution to this._ _"_

 _"_ _I don_ _'_ _t want to_ _—"_

 _"_ _Prove yourself_ _…"_

 _Chara bolted up and to their feet with an incredulous,_ _"_ _What?!_ _"_

 _"_ _Prove to me you are strong enough to survive._ _"_

Frisk rolled over onto their back in Papyrus's bed and stared up at the ceiling. Sometimes they could still feel Chara as if they were a part of them, another heartbeat throbbing with life within their ribcage. Other times it was as if they were two disconnected entities again, millions of miles away from the other. Fortunately enough, that morning it was not the latter. The feeling was much stronger than what they had experienced since leaving the Underground. It was almost as if they had never been separated at all.

 _Chara?_ Frisk tried. They reached out with their SOUL to the other flicker of life they felt within their torso.

 **Something is wrong, Frisk.**

 _Chara!_

 **This isn** **'** **t a time for celebration. I** **'** **m weak enough as it is. Something happened last night when you reentered the place you had originally fallen into the Underground. He said another domino has fallen.**

 _What do you mean?_

 **Some** **…** **Something isn** **'** **t right. Something hasn** **'** **t been right but something about your trip to the Underground caused another fracture in the fabric of time. This one was bigger than the last. I don** **'** **t know what it is, but you can feel it too, can** **'** **t you?**

 _Chara_ _—_

 **The nightmares, Frisk. The flashes of memories you** **'** **ve been experiencing. They** **'** **re not daydreams. Not anymore. He says there is an anomaly.**

 _An anomaly?_

 **It means something that is supposed to be alright isn** **'** **t right anymore. Do you understand?**

 _I think so._

 **It** **'** **s that anomaly that is letting me talk to you right now. I** **'** **m going to go with him to try to figure out what** **'** **s going on. For now, try to forget about this Link that has somehow been forged once again between us. Do not discuss this with anyone until I tell you otherwise. We might be able to solve this here and now. Wouldn** **'** **t want to worry Sans.**

 _You mean the thing that let_ _'_ _s us talk? The thing that kept us together in the Underground?_

 **Right. You** **'** **ve gotten better at this. Go about your day. I** **'** **m not sure when I** **'** **ll be able to reach you again; it** **'** **s hard enough to talk to you when you** **'** **re half asleep. I** **'** **m sure it will only be more difficult when you** **'** **re awake.**

 _I miss you._

A long pause.

 **I miss you too.**

* * *

Somewhere between eating breakfast and getting ready to go to the park with Papyrus, Sans, and Undyne, Frisk found themselves cornered by the older skeleton. The human had just been slipping on their bright yellow rain boots when they felt a familiar hand wrap around the back of their favorite sweater. The tile of the kitchen was yanked out from underneath them and they found themselves standing on the carpet of Toriel's bedroom.

"hey kiddo," Sans said with a grin. "sorry, papyrus is in the living room. didn't want to look suspicious dragging you off to talk about what happened last night."

Frisk nodded. They understood. They weren't ready to tell everyone else about where they had gone or what had occurred that morning. If Papyrus overheard them…well, he was already quite loud so it wouldn't help that Frisk was trying to keep everything a secret until they were ready.

"so, where did you go?"

Frisk took a deep breath. They steadied themselves and worked up the nerve to explain.

 _'_ _I went to the Underground._ _'_

Sans frowned. "the underground? all by yourself? kid, you can't just—"

 _'_ _I_ _'_ _m sorry. I had to._ _'_

Sans knew it wasn't like Frisk to break the rules unless it was important. He really didn't want to make a big deal out of the kid sneaking out and getting them in more trouble with Toriel when she came home. He had been all about sweeping it under the rug and getting Frisk to promise they wouldn't do something like that again.

"why?"

Frisk's hands faltered. _'_ _It_ _'_ _s_ _…_ _hard to explain._ _'_

"try me."

 _'_ _I went to get another monster from the Underground, one that couldn_ _'_ _t leave on their own._ _'_

"if it was something like that you shudda asked for me to come with you. i may be a…heh…lazy **bones** but i wudda helped ya out."

Frisk bowed their head. _'_ _I_ _'_ _m sorry. I didn_ _'_ _t want to scare him, that_ _'_ _s all. I_ _'_ _m sorry I scared you and made you mad._ _'_

Sans sighed and ruffled their hair. "nah, i can't stay mad at you, buddo. it's just, heh, you've got too big of a heart sometimes and it can getcha in a little bit of trouble, that's all."

Frisk smiled and wrapped their arms around Sans in a hug.

"heheh, don't get all mushy on me now."

Sans couldn't help but lean into the hug and rest his head on top of the kid's. No matter what he kept telling himself he had really been terrified at the thought of losing Frisk. Maybe he was better at the whole raising a kid thing than he originally thought.

"so." Sans stepped out of the hug and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "let's get down to business. the monster is whatever you brought home in that pot last night, isn't it?"

Frisk gave a guilty nod. _'_ _He_ _'_ _s not ready to meet everyone, though. I was going to ask him after we got back from the park.'_

"is he gonna be living with us then?"

Frisk gave him a nervous smile as their eyes crinkled in a grimace. _'_ _If that_ _'_ _s okay?_ _'_

"welp, the more the merrier, i s'pose. you ready to go to the park then?"

Frisk flapped their hands and wriggled excitedly. They grabbed onto Sans' jacket and gazed at him with puppy dog eyes.

Sans chuckled. "i'm really wrapped around your little finger, aren't i? hold on tight then."

With Frisk hanging on, Sans bent the two of them between planes and they were zapped into the kitchen. Frisk let go and clapped their hands.

"put on a jacket, kid, undyne says it's chilly out."

Frisk gave a hum of acknowledgment and skipped over to the coatrack. Sans breathed out another sigh at the sight of the little human hopping around the kitchen, feet drumming on the tile as they struggled to zip up their windbreaker. Warmth poured from his SOUL and through his bones and he couldn't help but smile—truly smile—at the spectacle his kid was.

 _what did i do to deserve all this, huh?_ he couldn't help but think as he intervened and helped Frisk work the zipper on their jacket and tugged a knit hat Toriel had made for them down on their head. Their hair poofed out from under the brim of the hat in a poof of unruly waves and curls. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Frisk brush their own hair if it wasn't Toriel smothering them with kisses and tickles until they complied, if it wasn't Papyrus chasing them around the living room with the kid wrapped up in a tiger towel with little ears on the hood, if it wasn't himself popping up to grab the kid from behind and ruffling their soaked hair with their towel and making a bigger mess for himself to comb. If it wasn't for Frisk he….he'd…

"ARE WE FINALLY READY TO GO?"

Even though Papyrus didn't need to dress according to the weather, he had donned a maroon turtleneck, jeans, and tennis shoes. Since leaving the Underground, Papyrus had yet to go without wearing his Battle Body, but he had finally restrained himself to only donning it once a week after learning about Surface fashion. Although Sans swapped out his jacket for something different every once and awhile, he found too much comfort in the coat to not go for very long without wearing it. He supposed it was like how Papyrus's scarf or Frisk's favorite sweater; it gave them a sense of security.

"yup."

"YIPPIE! WE ARE GOING TO HAVE SO MUCH FUN AT THE PARK, HUMAN!"

Frisk capered in a circle around Papyrus and Papyrus laughed, scooping them up and carrying them out the door. Another surge of warmth rushed through him as Sans watched Papyrus tickle Frisk's ribs.

"I AM GLAD I HAVE THE DAY OFF AS WELL! AS MUCH FUN AS IT IS TO HELP GRILLBY, I FEEL AS IF IT HAS BEEN MUCH TOO LONG SINCE I ACCOMPANIED YOU TO THE PARK. WHAT?! A SECRET?! OF COURSE YOU CAN CONFIDE IN ME! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS AS TRUST WORTHY AS HE IS GREAT!"

Frisk slipped out of his arms and cleared their throat. Sans found himself stuck in the middle of the doorway as if he was witnessing something special. The child stuck out their pinky finger and Papyrus crouched down to lock it with the human's. Frisk got up on their tippy toes and cupped their hand around their mouth. They then whispered something to his brother that caused his eye sockets to glimmer with a brief orange luminescence—something Sans only saw when a strong emotion had overwhelmed his brother.

Sans blushed slightly and tried to occupy himself with the door. He felt as if he was witnessing something private.

Frisk balled their hands up by their chin and gazed at the taller skeleton expectantly. Papyrus's cheeks were flushed orange, eyes sparkling.

"WOWIE! REALLY?!"

"Mmhm!" Frisk's head bobbed.

Papyrus placed his hand on the side of Frisk's face.

"I…I LOVE YOU TOO, FRISK."

"Hey nerds!"

Undyne was strolling up the sidewalk toward the house. Sans finished locking the door when Undyne stepped up onto their tiny porch.

"HELLO, UNDYNE!" Papyrus addressed.

Frisk rocked on the balls of their feet and reached into their pocket. They plucked out a thread bracelet that was different shades of blue and purple and held it out to the fish monster.

"Is that for me?"

Frisk nodded. _'_ _It goes on your wrist! I learned how to make it in art class. It_ _'_ _s a friendship bracelet!_ _'_

Undyne scoffed but held out her wrist anyway. Noticing Sans had spotted the tender smile on her face as Frisk tied it on for her, she glared at him. Sans shrugged and winked knowingly.

"So," Undyne began to question with her hands on her hips and sleeve pulled up slightly to proudly display her new piece of jewelry. "Are we going to the park or what?"

Frisk grabbed Papyrus's hand and then Undyne's. They smiled at them both and the pair of monsters lifted and swung the child off the porch and onto the sidewalk. The little human laughed.

"hey pap. i bet we can't beat undyne and frisk to the park," Sans goaded with a smirk.

"WHAT?"

"YEAH! I bet you can't!" Undyne cackled.

"NO! THE GREAT PAPYRUS ARISES TO ANY CHALLENGE! WE WILL NOT BE BEATEN!"

Frisk gasped as Undyne hoisted them off of their feet and put the human on her back. Frisk threw their arms around her neck as the monster zipped off.

"LAST ONE TO THE PARK IS A ROTTEN EGG!" Undyne declared.

"C'MON, SANS!" Papyrus howled. "MOVE IT, LAZYBONES, THEY'RE BEATING US!"

"ok."

"SANS! YOU ONLY TOOK ONE STEP! MOVE!"

"ok."

Furious, Papyrus scooped up his brother and held him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He took off after Undyne, screaming as he did so.

(Sans gave a lazy wave and a wink as the brothers eventually shot past the competition.)

* * *

Although the walk to the park was a long one, it passed by for Frisk in a blur—literally. The child wasn't sure who won the race. Papyrus and Undyne had taken turns rushing past one another, Frisk blowing kisses to Papyrus and Sans cheekily whenever Undyne barreled past them and Sans waving and winking (and eventually snoring, the human knew he couldn't stay awake very long when in his brother's arms). Upon arriving at the park Frisk dismounted from Undyne's back and zoomed off to the jungle gym.

"LOOK AT ALL THESE POTENTIAL FRIENDS FOR FRISK!" Papyrus cheered.

Sans couldn't help but grin around a little uneasily. The park was full of shrieking human children and their human parents. A few were staring at Sans, Undyne, and Papyrus, whispering behind their hands. Impolite children were pointing, giggling, and staring at them and—his SOUL gave a tense pulse at the sight— _Frisk._

"Ha, that punk could make friends with their eyes closed," Undyne said with a guffaw.

Sans didn't mention that the only human friend Frisk had made was Amelia and they had met through Olympio.

Papyrus and Undyne got into a competition of some sort, Sans surveyed the park. None of the human parents were playing with their children. They had been sitting on the many benched surrounding the playground but upon the monster's arrival they had gone eerily quiet. He observed Frisk trod up to a few children they recognized, waving and smiling. One of the kids snickered. A few goggled at Frisk and remained silent. The group moved on without saying a word, taking off to the sandbox and leaving a confused Frisk behind in their dust.

Frisk tried again to join in with a kid with their hair in pigtails. The child grinned and gave one of the cars they were holding to Frisk. Before Sans could give a sign of relief, the little girl's mother called her name sharply. The little girl got up and went over to her mother. The mother appeared to be scolding her quietly. At the sight, Frisk dipped their head. The kid, now pale, ripped her car out of Frisk's hand and ran off to a different side of the playground to play with her toy vehicles at.

 _fucking amy davis,_ Sans thought as he remembered the mom from the last PTA meeting. _you useless paper clip_ _._ _you_ _'_ _ve gotta be shittin' me._

Frisk trudged off to the swing set. At the request of their parents, the human kids vacated it.

"hey, pap, undyne," Sans said as he fought back a spasm of anger and struggled to keep the pinpricks within his eyes. Fury had twisted up his SOUL with a violent wrench.

"YES, BROTHER?"

"why don't we go play with frisk?"

Frisk, who had been swaying by themselves on a swing, glanced up at the sound of footsteps approaching them in a sprint. Before they knew it Undyne had lifted their swing and rushed underneath them in a reverse underdog. Frisk gave a screech of delight and kicked their legs as they were propelled through the air by Undyne's rather forceful shove.

Sans hopped up onto the swing next to Frisk and Papyrus gave him a push until he was flying like Frisk.

"Pump those legs!" Undyne commanded. "You want be a loser forever or do you want to touch the sky?"

Frisk laughed.

"stop yanking on their **chain** ," Sans said.

"SANS!"

"guess that one didn't **fly** past ya."

"I SWEAR TO GOD SANS!"

"COME ON!" Undyne shouted. "Pretend you are facing you greatest foe and the only way to win is to kick his lights out! Swing higher than Sans!"

Frisk reached out and grabbed Sans' hand. Papyrus gave a hearty, "NYEH HEH HEH!"

"Oh my god?! Stop holding the enemy's hand?!"

Frisk dug their feet into the ground and came to a running stop. They jumped off the swing and motioned for the others to follow them to the monkey bars.

"guess the kid wants to **monkey** around."

"I AM TRYING MY BEST TO IGNORE YOU BUT YOU ARE MAKING IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT."

Frisk scaled the monkey bars as kids flooded back to the swing set. Sans scowled.

"Fuhuhu, you're too much of a small fry." Undyne grabbed Frisk as they tried to reach for the bars that were out of their reach. She lifted Frisk up so they could grab on. "Here, I gotcha."

Frisk grabbed onto the next row, using their momentum and the comfort of Undyne's hand on their back to lock their knees around the bar and dangle upside down with a trill of laughter. Papyrus caught their hat that slipped off their head and put it on his own head for safe keeping.

Sans chuckled. "looks like you're really **hang** —"

"FINISH THAT PUN AND I WILL END YOU."

As the brothers continued to bicker, a weird feeling came over Frisk that caused their glee to fade. They shuddered as there was a dull buzz in their ears along with a faint tingling in the back of their mind. They winced as their head began to pound brutally and they grasped their cranium.

 _"_ _I-I_ _…_ _I_ _'_ _m not sure what to do, Frisk,_ _"_ _Chara laughed pitifully as tears threatened to spill over from their eyes._

 _*Ironically, talking does not seem to be the solution in this situation._

 _Frisk gulped at Chara_ _'_ _s bitter commentary and pressed their hand to the ACT button in order to trigger the menu. Once again, they tried unsuccessfully to come up with something to say. They couldn_ _'_ _t even scream for Toriel to stop._

The child turned themselves back around and jumped off the monkey bars. A shiver rocketed up their spine.

 _Frisk pulled the toy knife out from their inventory and summoned their courage._

 _"_ _No,_ _"_ _Chara uttered with a gasp._

 _Frisk took a step toward Toriel and steadied the knife. She had said to prove themselves. She said had said they had to prove to her that they were strong enough to survive. They raised the knife, teeth clenched and body tight. They had to prove themselves. They had to prove to her that they were strong enough to survive._

 _"_ _Frisk! No! Don_ _'_ _t_ _—"_

 _They had to be strong enough._

 _Frisk relaxed their hand and dropped the knife to the ground._

 _They were. But not like that._

 _Before Chara could even beg Frisk to show MERCY like they had done with every other monster in the Ruins, Frisk continued to surprise them. The small child maintained eye contact with Toriel and took a deep breath as their whole body began to tremble harder than before. Toriel, stunned by their act of refusal to fight, was visibly shaken. Her next several attacks missed on purpose._

 _And when Frisk used their turn to walk toward Toriel until they had their arms wrapped around her legs._

 _"_ _I know you want to go home, but_ _…_ _but please,_ _"_ _Toriel pleaded,_ _"_ _go upstairs now. I promise I will take good care of you here. I know we do not have much but_ _…_ _we can have a good life here._ _"_

 _Frisk withdrew themselves from the one-sided embrace and shook their head._

 _"_ _Why are you making this so difficult? Please, go upstairs._ _"_

 _Once again Frisk shook their head and pressed a hand to the MERCY button. Chara was silent._

 _"_ _Ha ha_ _…_ _pathetic, is it not? I cannot save even a single child._ _"_

 _Chara_ _'_ _s body began to quake. Their chest heaved and they reached up as if to grab something around their neck that wasn_ _'_ _t there._

 _"_ _No, I understand. You would just be unhappy trapped down here. The Ruins are very small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this. My expectations_ _…_ _my loneliness_ _…_ _my fear_ _…_ _for you, my child, I will put them aside. If you truly wish to leave the Ruins I will not stop you. However, when you leave_ _…_ _please, do not come back. I hope you understand._ _"_

 _Frisk_ _'_ _s hands spasmed and their arms extended out to grab Toriel but, remembering what happened whenever they normally tried to hug Stephanie, they hesitated. Instead they began to cry._

"Hey, punk, are you alright?"

 _"_ _Oh, my child_ _…"_

 _Toriel crouched down to hug them, breathing in the scent of their hair and letting her own tears finally fall. Frisk hugged Toriel as tight as their little arms would allow, and whispered_ _"_ _I_ _'_ _m sorry, Mom. I_ _'_ _m s-so sorry._ _"_

 _Toriel stopped breathing and pulled the child tighter to her body._

 _"_ _Ha_ _…_ _Mom_ _…"_ _came Chara_ _'_ _s voice. Frisk could feel their sadness._

 _Toriel composed herself and stood back up, back stiff and voice soft._ _"_ _Goodbye, my child._ _"_

 _Toriel turned back to look at them. Frisk clenched their fists by their side. Chara covered their mouth, hand reaching for her mother longingly. Toriel appeared to be trying to memorize each feature of the littler child_ _'_ _s face. With a quiet sigh she turned and fled back up the stairs to her home._

 _"_ _Ha ha_ _…_ _ha_ _…_ _I don_ _'_ _t want to go_ _…"_

Frisk blinked a few times and tried to force away the memories that were suddenly too overwhelming to bear.

"Frisk?"

Something was glimmering behind Undyne's head, some kind of slash in the middle of the sky.

 _'_ _I don_ _'_ _t feel very good,_ _'_ Frisk signed. They suddenly felt hot and cold all over and their stomach was churning. Something was wrong with Undyne's face. One moment they were in the park and the next her concerned expression was gone and replaced by triumph and a spear of light rested where her eyepatch was supposed to be.

 _"_ _I, UNDYNE, will_ _—_ it's okay, Frisk, we can— _strike you_ —if you— _down!_ "

 _'_ _I want to go home,_ _'_ Frisk signed. They put their hands over their ears as spears materialized behind Undyne and she snarled. The child quaked and their heart became the beat of a relentless drum. No matter how many breaths they sucked in, they couldn't seem to gulp down enough air. Frisk tried to flee but the projection of their SOUL burst from their chest and then evaporated, Undyne's menacing expression replaced by one of worry.

"Frisk? Are you…?"

 **Frisk. Look away.**

 _C-Chara?_ _I don_ _'_ _t_ _—_

 **Don** **'** **t look at it, Frisk. Close your eyes or it will get worse.**

Frisk did as they were told.

 **Remember what I said about the anomaly?**

 _I-I think so_ _…_

 **That thing you just saw, the thing that looked like someone cut into the sky, that was a trace of the anomaly. If you look too long, it will get in your head and overtake you. Think of something calming. You have to calm down for it to pass.**

Instead of the serene and distant tune of a music box, the first thing that cropped into Frisk's mind was a picture of the inky, star speckled curtain of the night sky. They thought of the fairy lights and echo flowers of the Underground, of whispered promises and how nothing could replicate the endless sprawl of pinpricks and swirls of a heaven splattered with black ice.

 **I** **'** **ll** **…** **I** **'** **ll try to talk to you again, soon.** The voice began to fade. **I promise, Frisk, it** **'** **s all going to be alright. We** **'** **re going to figure this out. Try to relax, okay?**

A pair of hands sat over the ones over their ears. Frisk slipped their fingers into the spaces between Sans's fingers, where the warmth of magic provided solace for little hands seeking a place to rest.

 _"_ _i, uh, heard you didn_ _'_ _t feel too good at school today._ _"_

 _Frisk nodded and swiped at their nose._

 _"_ _i want you to know that you can call me whenever you want if you start feelin_ _'_ _funny. even if i_ _'_ _m at work or you're in class. just step on out and give me a ring. i_ _'_ _ll tell ya a few jokes if you like, you don_ _'_ _t even have to say anything. it will only be 5g of course._ _"_

 _Frisk made a face._

 _"_ _what was that not enough? 50g? 500g? 5000g? 50000g? ah, bud, won_ _'_ _t be long and MK and the others will be in class with you. just gotta hold on_ _'_ _til then, ya know?_ _"_

 _Frisk smiled and threaded their fingers through his._

 _"_ _i_ _'_ _m rootin_ _'_ _for ya, kiddo._ _"_

 _Frisk was glad he, unlike the others, didn_ _'_ _t ask if they had made any friends yet._

 _"_ _c_ _'_ _mon, let_ _'_ _s get home._ _"_

"you wanna get home?"

Frisk managed a nod. _'_ _I don_ _'_ _t feel very good. I_ _'_ _m sorry._ _'_

"nah, no need to apologize." Sans tossed his arm over Frisk's shoulders. "i was gettin' kinda tired of all the stiff stares too. how 'bout we go play at home instead. undyne can stay over, if you want. she'll even give you a piggyback ride, free of charge."

 _'_ _I_ _'_ _d like that._ _'_

Papyrus placed their hat back on their head and shared a kind smile with Frisk. Undyne gave them a happy thumbs up.

"c'mon then. let's go home."

For Frisk, they would never get tired of hearing those words.

* * *

From the recesses of the void, an undefined silhouette watched as a child in a striped sweater stood by an unfortunate blob of darkness with a face that was sifting through coding to read time. Its shadowy form contorted into a grin.

 **"** **We** **'** **ll be together forever, won** **'** **t we? :)** **"**

* * *

 **If you haven't heard of Songs from Mt. Ebott: Vol. 1 you need to go listen to it now. If you already have, listen to it again it's great af and I listened to it the whole time writing this chapter lol**

 **Things are getting bad for frisk and the gang hope they clear up soon(?)**

 **Lots o' LV,**

 **-Sav**


	10. What's the Deal With Quantum Physics?

_'_ _Sans?_ _'_

 _"_ _yeah? what is it, kiddo?_ _"_

 _'_ _Am I going to be okay?_ _'_

 _"_ _wha_ _—_ _?_ _"_

 _'_ _Am I going to be okay?_ _'_

 _"_ _of course you are, frisk, why wouldn_ _'_ _t you be? it_ _'_ _s_ _…_ _it_ _'_ _s the dream, isn_ _'_ _t it?_ _"_

 _'…_ _Yeah. Toriel said it was just a dream and Undyne laughed at me and_ _…_ _and_ _…'_

 _"_ _it_ _'_ _s okay, kid. i understand. it won_ _'_ _t happen here, but if ever happens somewhere else i promise i_ _'_ _ll stop you._ _"_

 _'_ _Thank you, Sans._ _'_

* * *

A hug.

The ruffling of hair.

A bend in time.

The swish of a knife.

The dribble of blood on tile.

A surge of power, the flick of a hand, the crunch of a fragmented body on the far wall.

A broken sigh.

 _"_ _this is why i hate makin_ _'_ _promises._ _"_

* * *

 _"_ _I see the moon, the moon sees me, God bless the moon and God bless me_ _…"_

It was one of those rare moments in the time since Frisk had started living with them that the child was being completely and utterly themselves without a single fear of retribution. The soft voice of the child in the living room, playing with their plastic dinosaurs and making a different, tiny roaring noise for each one between crooning stanzas of the lullaby was euphonious to Sans' SOUL. He couldn't help but close his eyes and bask in the noise. It had the same affect as the sound of Papyrus making spaghetti in the kitchen, humming to himself or wondering what else the recipe needed; it felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

A tiny roar followed by a slightly louder roar and a little giggle. Sans couldn't help but grin and try to step as quietly as possible to not disrupt the imaginary world taking place behind the couch.

 _"_ _I see the stars, the stars see me, God bless the stars and God bless me_ _…"_

Maybe they wouldn't see him. He just had to make his slouching stroll into a finessed creep. Sans knew if Papyrus wasn't over at Undyne's he would happily be controlling the strongest looking dinosaur in Frisk's set and protecting the baby dinosaurs from the most fierce looking one. Instead of his cool brother, the freak-in-a-pot was moodily slumped over by Frisk's side. The flower was trying his best to ignore the dinosaur standing in his planter.

Frisk glanced up at the sound of Sans' footsteps rounding the sofa. They glanced up as their face flushed with color and they stiffened in surprise.

"whoops," Sans apologized with a chuckle. He lifted up his foot slightly in preparation for the pun he was about to make. "sorry, kiddo. thought i could **slip** past you."

Frisk covered their mouth and their shoulders turned inward. They appeared to be ashamed.

 _'_ _Sorry,_ _'_ they signed.

"for what? speaking?" Sans shook his head and his SOUL clenched slightly. What he wouldn't give to find the kiddo's biological parents, to be able to go back, to be able to do _something_. "don't worry 'bout it, bud, you didn't do anything wrong."

The flower scowled when Frisk turned their head.

 _'_ _Sorry,_ _'_ Frisk apologized again. Sans ruffled their hair in answer. He stooped down and plucked a dinosaur from Frisk's collection. He then made a galloping gesture with the toy that caused Frisk to give him a small smile.

"how long you've been at this, ya fruit loop?"

Frisk shrugged. They had lost track of time since they had donned their footie pajamas—a cute, blue thing speckled with little white dogs.

"hey. ya know what a dinosaur that can read is called? A **thesaurus** "

Frisk rolled their eyes but gave him a beam nonetheless. The flower shot him a disgusted look.

"do you know what the scariest type of dinosaur is called?"

Frisk thought for a moment. Unfortunately, they were unable to come up with an answer and decided to just shake their head.

"a **t** **error** -dactyl."

Frisk dissolved into laughed. The flower pretended to retch.

"mind if i sit with ya for a minute?"

The child tapped on the ground in delight. They pointed two fingers toward themselves and brought them to rest on the crook between the thumb and their pointer finger on their other hand that was cupped toward their chest. They handed Sans another dinosaur that had a long neck and stood on all fours. Frisk made a growling sound and pretended to trot the toy up Sans' shinbone. The skeleton walked his up to Frisk's stegosaurus and pushed the neck of the brachiosaurus down so it was pointing toward the ground.

Frisk's lip quivered in a pout and they gave the dinosaur a worried expression.

"oh, don't worry, they're not sad. they're just afraid of heights."

Frisk tittered and made their dinosaur give the scared brachiosaurus a kiss. The plant monster decided he had had enough and curled in his petals to sleep for the night.

Frisk gave a little roar and bounced a triceratops up and down. Sans laid the dinosaur that had a big head and little arms on the ground and said, "sorry, i can't fight you. i'm a **napasaurus rest**."

Without warning Sans was tackled by the small human. Sans wrapped his arms around Frisk and dragged his fingers up and down Frisk's ribcage in retaliation. The kid gave a screech of laughter and tried their best to turn his ribs into an xylobone. Sans flipped the two of them over and pinned Frisk's arms down with his knees. He then continued to tickle them relentlessly until tears of joy streamed down Frisk's face.

"oh no," Sans groaned. "not again."

Frisk gave him a look of worry.

"gravity is increasing on me…"

Frisk began to squirm underneath Sans in a futile effort to escape.

"gravity…growing…i can't…"

Frisk's thrashing grew until Sans was completely on top of them. The little human, now crushed, dissolved into muffled laughter. They pushed up with a hand against his spine and kicked their legs.

"huh. weird couch," Sans commented.

Frisk shoved and giggled harder.

"hope it doesn't mind if i take a nap."

Gathering up their determination, Frisk managed to pop their head and both of their arms out from underneath Sans. They curled one of their hands and rapped it against their other palm.

 _'_ _Knock knock._ _'_

Sans scooted off of Frisk and crossed his legs on the carpet. He knew it was probably going to be a good one. Frisk sat up at well and smiled.

"who's there?"

 _'_ _O-l-i-v-e._ _'_

"heh. olive who?"

To his great surprise, Frisk opened their mouth and spoke in the quiet, gentle voice that only the most soft-spoken of children like themselves could possess.

"Olive you."

He felt like he was going to 99999. Against his will, magic radiated off of his cheekbones from the warm pulse that had left his SOUL. Frisk was beaming at him like he had hung the moon and the stars himself. Dear Christ Almighty he was going to 99999 for sure.

"ah…"

He tried to speak, to string some sort of coherent message together but he was rapidly failing with each second that passed. He could let his guard down for just a minute, couldn't he? What would it hurt? So he did the only thing a flustered skeleton could do: wrap his arms around the ball of sunshine sitting before him and hang on tight.

"heh. i love you too, kiddo."

The day had gone by pretty smoothly after Frisk, Undyne, Papyrus, and Sans had returned home from the park. Undyne had stayed over for a few more hours in order to spend more time with Frisk. Her, Frisk, and Papyrus had had a group cooking lesson and the resulting sauce splattered over the cupboards had taken almost an hour to scrub off. Eventually, Undyne and Papyrus left for Undyne's house to have a training session and some late night anime, leaving Sans to finish off the day home alone with Frisk. With Toriel not back from her meeting with the Ebott council and a few congress delegates, it was up to Sans to feed Frisk and get them ready for bed when the time came. He had opted out of Grillby's that night. Even though they were home, Frisk was still tense and even quieter than usual. They had spent most of the afternoon and evening entertaining themselves, hands tugging on their hair and fidgeting when they thought Sans wasn't looking and humming quietly to themselves when their back would stiffen and their eyes would close.

Normally, Sans would comfort them and help cheer them up with a joke. But Frisk had wanted to be alone. They only came to someone if they were too overwhelmed. He had known them long enough to be able to read their body language. Sans could only watch from a seat in the kitchen or from the hall, feeling helpless as usual. He had been trying to avoid interrupting them playing because they had finally seemed at peace. At first he had been worried that the kid would be too upset to continue playing but now…

Sans ran a hand through Frisk's hair. The little child had yet to pull out of the hug.

Now he was happy he had.

"hey, kid. it's gettin' pretty late."

Frisk made a noise in the back of their throat and crossed their two fingers, pulling them apart and then brought their thumb up to their chin with the rest of their hand sticking upward.

"yeah yeah, i know your mom isn't home yet, kiddo, but she'll have my tailbone if you're not to bed before she gets home."

Frisk stuck their tongue out at him and crossed their arms.

"how 'bout i'll send her over to ya when she gets home?"

Frisk's nose crinkled but their eyes twinkled in spite of the expression on their face.

"ok."

Sans lifted Frisk up underneath one of his arms and headed toward Papyrus's room. Before they had gone too far, Frisk scooped up the sleeping plant so they could be carried as well.

"you're really puttin' me to work here, kid."

Frisk signed something about how magic would have been easier.

"nah, then i woulda had fun. can't have that now, can we?"

Frisk barrel rolled over in his arm so they were looking up at them. They blew raspberries at the skeleton.

Sans chuckled. "c'mon, let's get you off to bed."

* * *

Sans was awoken by a faint click of a door sliding open. A shaft of pale light snuck through the darkness of the room, illuminating a slot across the skeleton's face.

Huh. So he had fallen asleep reading to the kiddo.

Toriel peeked her head in the door and gave Sans a gentle smile at the sight of Frisk curled up against his chest, their body tucked in and zipped up in his hoodie like a joey in a pouch. Sans still wasn't sure how snug the human could be squished up against his bones (he figured the heat from the SOUL stowed up in his ribs probably made it pretty cozy) but they seemed to enjoy it as if the comfort level didn't matter. Besides, it was way to hard to argue with the kid. One puppy dog look was all it took to make him a goner.

Sans gave Toriel a wink and gingerly unzipped his hoodie, careful not to bump Frisk. He shifted slightly, freezing when Frisk made a small noise and readjusted.

"ah, tori," Sans whispered. "little help?"

Toriel laughed softly. She walked over to the side of the bed and—with all the expertise a seasoned mother could possess—swept Frisk up into her arms so Sans could slide off the bed. She then set Frisk back down in the bed, pulling the covers up to their next and gave a loving caress with the side of her hand to Frisk's face.

"Goodnight, my child."

Together, Sans and Toriel headed back to the kitchen to let Frisk rest.

"heya, tori," Sans greeted once it was safe to speak at a normal volume. "how'd it go?"

Toriel gave a tired sigh.

"not good, huh?"

"That is what I have to talk to you about. Perhaps you should sit down."

Sans climbed up onto his favorite stool in the kitchen as Toriel waved her hand and the kettle on the stove began to boil. She poured herself a mug and plucked a tea bag from one of the boxes up in the cupboard. Immediately, the aroma of hibiscus began to waft from her drink and around the kitchen. She pulled a bottle of ketchup from the refrigerator and set it down with a mug for himself in front of Sans.

The skeleton monster tugged on the back of his collar. Late night ketchup drinking never meant something good had occurred.

"There is…a faction," Toriel began as she sat down across from Sans. "…they are against the anti-discrimination law that was recently put into affect. "They do not currently have a known name, but they have a few members of high power. As of today, they were able to get the committee to repeal the anti-discrimination law."

By stopping himself from nearly spitting out all of the ketchup in his mouth that he had been slurping from his mug, Sans choked on the swig he had just took. He coughed and swallowed before blurting out an incredulous, _"_ _what?_ _"_

Toriel's head hung in shame. "It is true."

"they don't even need that kind of law in place, tori, we're people just like them. that's some _serious_ bullshit."

"I know." Toriel's look of dejection slowly began to morph into one of frustration. "Now store owners do not have to sell monsters their goods if they do not want to, services do not have to be provided to monster consumers, hate crimes take more legal time to process if they even get processed at all—"

"tori."

Sans placed a hand over her's. The tips of her claws had began to spark with fire magic.

"we're…we're gonna get though this, alright? you and asgore are our best chance at getting that law back into place. you think all this b.s. would have been solved by now."

"That is why I have to speak with you about it." Toriel took a sip from her tea and cleared her throat. "In order to sort this mess out, an emergency meeting has been called with congress in Washington D.C. I have to fly out with Asgore and several monster representatives tomorrow morning."

"well, i'll miss ya, but you gotta do what you gotta do. pap and i will look after the kiddo and—"

"Papyrus is coming with us."

"…what?"

Toriel wrapped both paws around her mug in order to steady herself. "The delegates decided that they need other monster representatives to speak for the monster community besides the former rulers in attempt to avoid bias. Asgore called to speak with Undyne to make a request of her to come with us since she was the head of the former Royal Guard and knows the people best. Of course, she agreed happily. But we have a representative quota we have to meet and Papyrus overheard and happily volunteered for the job along with Alphys. We have one more slot we need to fill."

"i'll come then," Sans agreed, anger flaring in his bones. "knowing the anti-monster delegates? heh. they'd rip pap up into little smiling shreds. i'm not gonna let that happen."

Toriel nodded decisively and reached for her phone. "I can arrange for Frisk to stay with Mettaton if he has not left already for his tour. I'm sure he would be more than happy to watch Frisk for the next few days while they are not at school."

Sans was in the middle of formulating a response when he heard it: a long shriek drawn out by some unseen torturer that scared him so badly that he fell off from where he was sitting on his favorite stool at the counter. He could hear Toriel's stool clattering to the ground as she shot up but he was whisked away from the kitchen as he turned in the middle of his fall into a shortcut.

In a flash he was in Frisk's and Papyrus's room and there was a writhing mass buried beneath layers of blankets and sheets that he knew was Frisk. The kid let out another shout at the top of their lungs, one that caused the magic in Sans bones to stop dead cold.

"D-Don't kill me!"

 _Holy shit._

The only thing that he could think about was that someone was going to be dead over what was happening. All he could think about was how he was going to kill someone, no matter how long it took, no matter how far he had to travel, someone was going to pay for the way the kid was shrieking and he never _ever_ wanted to hear Frisk let out a blood curdling scream like that ever again.

Behind him Toriel's feet were pounding across the kitchen and through the living space. He could feel a throb of magic pooling from Toriel's essence and into her paws meant for the unseen intruder that was threatening her child's life.

"Make them shut up!" the flower screeched with its leaves over where Sans supposed its ears were supposed to be. It looked terrified. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

He decided he would deal with _that_ problem later.

"D-Don't h-hurt me! Sans, I'm s-sorry! I'm sorry!"

 _Holy. Shit._

Miraculously, somehow Sans made it to Frisk's side and had yanked the suffocating covers off of them. He had felt petrified and rooted to the spot, not exactly sure how to advance or if he even could. The only thing he could feel in his suddenly desensitized body were his sins crawling down the length of his vertebra.

"kid!"

" _Please!_ _"_ Frisk begged. "Don't kill me, d-don't kill me!"

The door flew open and nearly flung off its hinges as Toriel burst into the room. Sans shook Frisk, exclaiming, "frisk!" and Frisk sat up, eyes wide but still glazed from the nightmare they were trapped in. The child took one look at Sans and screamed even louder than before. They recoiled until they had shoved themselves up against the wall with their arms thrown up protectively and knees crammed against their chest.

Catching the look in Toriel's fear stricken eyes, Sans snapped his fingers and made a jabbing motion toward the kitchen to signal Toriel to leave because _fuck_ she did _not_ need to hear her kid begging for someone not to kill them, she did _not_ need to hear her child plead for their life and to be spared by…him.

Thankfully, Toriel listened and released her death grip on the doorway. With her head in her hands, she fled back to the living space.

"I-I don't w-want to die," Frisk cried. "I-I'm s-sorry, d-do-don't h-hur-hur—"

"hey, hey." Sans swiveled back toward the the bawling child. "frisk, it's me! frisk!"

Frisk sucked in a gulp of air and collapsed into tears. Their shoulders quaked as their little body was racked with loud, convulsive gasps and they fought to keep breathing as they bawled.

"kid, i…"

Sans reached out to touch the side of their face. They felt much hotter than usual under his touch as they shook feverishly. The human didn't jump back at the contact so he took it as a sign to advance.

"i…"

He wrapped Frisk up in his arms and drew the child as close as possible. Frisk allowed themselves to be engulfed in the embrace and twisted their hands up as tight in the front of his shirt as they could. They became a ball in his lap, body molding to his and face smooshed into his ribs.

Sans allowed himself to look up to make sure Toriel hadn't returned.

"D-D-Don't h-hurt m-me I'm s-sorry," Frisk sobbed.

"you're safe frisk," he mumbled into their hair. "i'm not gonna hurt you."

He turned himself away from Toriel as he too almost began to cry. Everything inside of him hurt and ached at the thought of the nightmare being about the timelines they hadn't been friends, about the timelines that the other being that wasn't his kid inhabited their body, timelines where it was knock knock. Who's there? _Not Frisk._

"Puh-Puh-Please don't hurt me, d-don't l-let them h-hurt me, I-I'm s-sorry, I do-don't want t-to die."

"i'm sorry," he uttered. His eye sockets were becoming a puddle as he fought to remain calm. He threaded his hand through one of Frisk's shaking ones and rocked back and forth. "i'm so sorry."

"I don't want to die."

"you're not going to, kid, n-not on my watch."

Frisk began to cry louder and harder. Their head lashed back and forth and Sans took his free hand out of Frisk's and held the human's head to his sternum.

His insides were waging a ferocious war that caused guilt to tighten around his ribs and a sense of duty to asphyxiate him.

"I don't want to die."

"shh, shh…" Sans hushed. He swallowed hard and his tears finally splattered into Frisk's hair. "you're safe, frisk. i'm not gonna let anyone hurt you. i'm…i'm not gonna let anyone hurt you."

* * *

Eventually, astoundingly, Frisk finally managed to calm down and the screaming plant had shut up and gone back to sleep. Somehow he had turned a wailing, shaking nightmare-turned-into-a-panic-attack catastrophe into a hiccuping, mostly quiet mess (truth be told, until he had calmed down some himself, he had been rubbing on their back like it was a lamp and he needed to make a wish like there was no fucking tomorrow). Once their body had unlocked, their breathing had calmed down, their heart rate had decelerated, it no longer felt like they were going to die in every pore of their body, and the kid had stopped shaking like a leaf caught in a windstorm.

He felt completely and utterly drained. He thought that time healed but it seemed like Frisk's nightmares were getting progressively worse. Besides wanting to crawl under a rock and sleep for a good ten years, now he felt like he didn't mind if he died somewhere in that timespan. Maybe even immediately because, damn it all, _he_ had been the reason for their nightmare, _he_ had been the one Frisk had been pleading with to not die at _his_ hand. He was never going be able to forgive himself for that.

The world was a really fucked up place and he was caught smack dab in the middle of not okay and really not fucking okay (although now he was leaning toward the latter).

Somehow, without Toriel's help, he had wormed out of Frisk's death grip that had lasted even after they had fallen back asleep. Somehow, without anyone's help, he had worked up the courage to get out of Papyrus's bed and face Toriel back in the kitchen.

Toriel seemed as if she had gained ten years. She was hunched over her cold tea, eyes glassy and red-rimmed. She took a mechanical sip of her drink and a muscle in her jaw twitched slightly.

"i got frisk to go back to sleep."

Toriel didn't answer. His SOUL gave an uneasy thrum.

"they're…they're gonna be okay, tori. it was just a bad dream."

"'Do not kill me,'" Toriel quoted in a flat voice. "'Please, do not hurt me.'"

Instead of taking his seat back across from the ex-queen, Sans placed a hand on her arm.

"Oh _God_ ," Toriel gasped before breaking down. She crossed her arms on the countertop and buried her head in her arms.

"tori…?"

"What did they do to them?" she cried. "What did they do to my child?"

For the second time that night, instead of giving up, he plowed on. He stood as tall as he could and wrapped his arms around Toriel. She turned to meet his embrace, crying into the shoulder of his jacket and snuffling into his clavicle.

"I w-wish they had b-been born as tr-truly my own, Sans," Toriel breathed between sobs. "B-B-Because n-no matter what I do, I-I w-will never be able to reverse t-the d-damage t-they h-have done. I c-can l-love them w-with all my heart, b-b-but…oh, Sans…"

Sans' hand tightened around the back of her sweater. With each word, he felt his eye sockets grow darker and darker until they were completely snuffed out.

"I-I c-can't leave tomorrow," Toriel sniffled. She pulled herself out of Sans' embrace and straightened her back. "Someone has to—"

"tori?" Sans interrupted in an utter. "i-i'll stay with frisk. maybe grillby or muffet can fill that empty spot."

"Sans…"

"even though it, heh, **rattles my bones** , you got a duty to do. i know you and undyne will look out for papyrus for me."

A swell of magic flooded up though his cheekbones as Toriel planted a kiss on his forehead and cupped the side of his jawbone.

"Thank you, Sans. I will feel so much better knowing that you are here to take care of Frisk while I am gone. Not that I do not trust someone else, but…I made a few calls while you were taking care of Frisk to see who could watch them while we were gone. Mettaton and Napstablook have already left on tour and I would rather not have to rely on Bratty and Catty to have the responsibility of watching over Frisk for a few days."

"nah, c'mon tori, frisk would have lots of fun eating garbage at the dump. maybe they'll even get frisk hyped for the destruction of humanity."

Toriel gave him a watery smile.

"they'll probably be at mettaton's tour anyway. last i knew, according to bratty, the three of them were practically married."

"I…I cannot thank you enough, Sans. Are you sure you will be alright by yourself?"

"yeah, course i'll be fine. i don't have that evening job anymore so i'll only be workin' when frisk is in class."

"Frisk will not have school tomorrow because of the district school board meeting. What will you do then?"

"ah, i know someone who can watch them while i'm finishing up my shift," Sans said with a wink. "he owes me a favor or two."

Toriel kissed his forehead again and gave him an adoring gaze.

"ah, geeze tori, it's nothing, really."

"We should get to bed. I have to be up early tomorrow to fly out and you have work in the morning." Toriel got up from her seat and smoothed out the front of her sweater. She held out her hand for Sans and he took his with a small chuckle.

"heh, you're never gonna believe the joke frisk told me today," Sans said as they headed toward their room.

"Oh?"

"yeah, it was a knock knock joke and…"

The door shut behind them with a soft click.

* * *

Frisk blinked and cracked open their eyes a fraction of an inch when something touched their foot.

"hey, kiddo, i'm heading off to work," Sans' voice muttered. "'cuz you're mom's gotta work again, it will just be you an me today, alright? whenever you're ready to get up, your babysitter is downstairs."

Frisk fought to focus on the skeleton. They heard something about going to work and a babysitter but the rest had smeared together. There was a hand on their forehead. A whispered promise. The feeling that someone wasn't ready to let go.

They decided it would be best to roll back over and go to sleep.

* * *

 **OKAY SO! This was supposed to be a longer chapter but I got about halfway through writing it and I realized that this chapter and the next one don't really mesh well together as one chapter? I thought it sounded really weird to have several moments like this thrown into a PTA Parent off (hell yeah the next chapter is another encounter with the pta grab your popcorn and get ready to slam like it's space jam). I'm really really super excited to write the character that I have planned to babysit frisk while sans is working I hope I can write them to their full potential because they're such a great character and I have an opportunity here I am not going to waste.**

 **Till next time, little buddies,**

 **-Sav**


	11. ENCOUNTER!: PTA Pt 2

The sound of some noisy cartoon permeating their dream of sprawling skies was what caused Frisk to rise from their slumber. Their first thought was Papyrus; he loved cartoons. Then again, he was moderately respectful of others' sleeping habits as long as your name didn't rhyme with _vans_.

It couldn't be Toriel. She wouldn't sit down in the morning and watch cartoons and the thought was so ridiculous to the human that they snickered. It probably wasn't Sans. He only watched cartoons if Papyrus was or if he was too lazy to get up and find the remote.

Hadn't he said something about going to work? Hadn't he said something about a…babysitter?!

Frisk sprung out of bed and peeked at Flowey. His petals were still curled in around his face. Not wanting him to feel left out, Frisk gave him a soft tap with the tip of their finger.

A few of Flowey's petals unfurled and he glared at Frisk.

"What do you want?"

Frisk pointed with their thumb to the door.

"No, I'm not ready to hang out with your weird family yet."

Frisk gestured toward the door again.

"Leave me alone, Frisk."

Flowey closed back in on himself again and grumbled something under his breath. Although the child wished they could spend time with him (if he didn't like dinosaurs, maybe he would like building blocks), they decided against waking him back up and snuck down the hallway and to the living room to investigate. They wanted to keep quiet incase they didn't know who the babysitter was.

Frisk peeped around the corner only to spot someone was sitting on the sofa. His ears gave a flick at the sound of the child approaching and he turned around, tossing his arm over the back of the headrest and reclining in all of his neurotic, anxiety-ridden, overwrought glory.

"Hey there, little buddy."

 _Burgerpants!_

Frisk bolted over to where the feline-like monster was plopped on the couch and threw their arms around him in a hug. Startled by the sudden contact, instead of hugging back Burgerpants gave the top of Frisk's head an awkward pat.

 _'_ _I_ _'_ _m so glad you_ _'_ _re here! How are you?_ _'_

"Whoa, slow on down there, little buddy. I'm still pretty new to the whole signing thing."

Frisk repeated what they said much slower than they would usually sign.

Burgerpants gave Frisk an easy smile, crossing his arms behind his head and kicking his feet up onto the coffee table. Frisk could only imagine the look he would have been receiving from their mother.

"I'm doing good, how are you?"

Frisk gave him a thumbs up. They examined him for a moment, noting that for whatever reason, he was in his MTT Burger Emporium uniform. They would have to ask him about that later.

 _'_ _How is your acting job going?_ _'_

Burgerpants tensed up. "Huh?!"

 _'_ _Your acting job,_ _'_ Frisk signed slowly.

Burgerpants made an odd expression. His face scrunched up and he gave Frisk a nervous smile. "GREAT! I LOVE EVERY MOMENT OF IT!"

His face fell. "I got to play a plant recently. And by play a plant I…uh…" He wrung his paws and his face contorted again. Frisk had almost forgotten how expressive he could be. "I snuck backstage and hopped into a bush while Mettaton was performing. I…I still don't understand why people like him so much! He may not be a freaking rectangle anymore, but he's still a jerk!"

Burgerpants reached into his back pocket and pulled out a box of candy cigarettes. Sans must have told him that smoking wasn't allowed in the house. He placed one of the sugar sticks between his lips and held it in his teeth so it didn't jump when he spoke.

"The other day, little buddy, he came at me with two pieces of bread. I thought he was going to try that trend on the Overnet, you know, the one where you cut a hole in the middle and _stuff your cat_ _'_ _s face into it?_ Anyway, he took both pieces of bread and…" He shrunk into himself. "Put a slice each on either side of my face. Then he looked at me and said, 'You're an idiot sandwich.'"

He kicked back again with heavy lidded eyes and pretended he didn't care. "Needless to say, I was crushed."

Frisk's brow crinkled and they frowned. Jokes always made Sans happy. Frisk supposed they could give it a try.

 _'_ _Want to hear a joke?_ _'_

"It's alright, I'm a joke enough by myself."

Oh.

"Listen up, little buddy. I'm getting up in years so I'm gonna give you some advice. Don't waste your life like me! You're young! You still have a future! Don't. Go into. Show business. Unless you're one of them and got connections higher up, you're gonna end up just like me. And I like you, little buddy. I don't want that for you. So. _Don_ _'_ _t work with Mettaton._ He may seem to be the key to making it big, but if you just let all that show biz get to your head…"

Burgerpants gave a nervous laugh and his eye twitched. He then threw up his paws angrily and exclaimed, "I STILL DON'T GET IT! Although his legs…those are something that even a guy like me can appreciate, little buddy."

Frisk bit their lip. _'_ _Why are you wearing that?_ _'_

"Uh…" Burgerpants tugged at his collar. "Mettaton hasn't told me I could take it off yet."

 _'_ _But you don_ _'_ _t work in the Underground anymore._ _'_

"That's what he _wants_ me to think. Mettaton is playing a game that I will never be able to win." Burgerpants looked to the side and dragged his shoulders inward. "Even though I'm…finally out of that labyrinth of bad choices."

 _'_ _Did you ask him if you can take it off?_ _'_

Burgerpants frowned. "No. Because I loved every minute I spent at the Emporium. Don't you know that… _nothing_ _'_ _s better than serving up smiles!_ _"_

Burgerpants gave a sob, something that sounded akin to a complaint about how much one hated their life, and then steeled himself and yelled, "RUN! RUN AWAY FROM ME!"

Frisk toppled off the sofa with a laugh. _'_ _So then just ask him!_ _'_

"It's not that simple," Burgerpants said after composing himself from the neurotic outburst. "Once you've been living as long as I have, once you have seen the things that I've seen working in that godforsaken place…the word's a tough place, little buddy. You've gotta learn that fast. If I ask Mettaton if I can take the uniform off…he would win. And I would really be the loser that everyone thinks I am."

 _'_ _You_ _'_ _re not a loser!_ _'_ Frisk drummed their hands on his knees and gave his arm a kind squeeze. _'_ _I believe in you!_ _'_

Burgerpants sunk into the couch with a dopey grin. "Thank you, little buddy. When I finally make it big, I'll keep you in mind."

Frisk wriggled back and forth. The human grabbed Burgerpants's wrist and tried their best to pull him off the couch.

"Are you hungry or something?"

Frisk's head bobbed and they took off toward the kitchen.

Burgerpants sighed and headed toward the kitchen. Frisk was already scaling a stool to take a seat at the counter.

"What do you want? Cereal?"

 _'_ _Pancakes!_ _'_

"Coming right up, little buddy."

As Burgerpants gathered everything together to make Frisk's pancakes, the child began signing animately to the monster, telling him their favorite things about school and what he had missed since the last time they had saw him. The monster struggled to keep up, making Frisk repeat something every now and again but eventually got the gist of what the little human was saying. Frisk told him about the science fair and their favorite park, how they were learning about subtraction in math class and how they were going to have their first soccer game soon. They explained as best as they could with excited motions how a tornado worked and how many of their schoolmates Undyne could squat and benchpress. They then asked Burgerpants if he would come to the PTA meeting that night with them and Sans because their new friends Amelia and Olympio were going to be there and Frisk wanted Burgerpants to meet them.

 _'_ _Dad said in the newsletter they were going to talk about the school play today and they wanted to get opinions from kids that wanted to be in it._ _'_ Frisk signed. _'_ _Kid might even be there too! And you could even have a sleep over with me tonight! We could watch movies and have popcorn! Oh and then we could get Nice Cream!_ _'_

"Ah I don't know about staying the night but if…uh… _Dad_ _…"_ Burgerpants snorted. "Adds a few numbers to my paycheck then I'll tag along with you."

Burgerpants set the plate of pancakes down in front of Frisk. Instead of digging in they stared at the platter for a moment.

"Are you going to eat it or what?"

Frisk climbed up on the countertop. They extracted a bag of chocolate chips from the cupboard and then scaled back down to their seat. After arranging a smiley face onto the front of their breakfast out of chocolate chips they began to eat happily.

Burgerpants sat down next to Frisk with his head in his hands. When Frisk offered him a bite he gave them an odd side-eye. Filled with determination, Frisk's hand didn't waver. Burgerpants took a bite off of the fork and gave Frisk a timid smile and a laugh.

"There. Happy?"

Frisk smiled and began to pet the top of Burgerpants's head, their other hand shoveling forkfuls of pancakes into their mouth. At first Burgerpants recoiled from the touch but, surprisingly, found out that contact from other people wasn't so bad after all.

Frisk could have sworn they heard him purr.

* * *

"Are you sure it's going to be over here today?"

Frisk nodded enthusiastically from the backseat of Burgerpants's vehicle. After spending most of the day watching cartoons, playing with Frisk's building blocks and cars, and listening to Burgerpants's Frisk-provoked long winded laments and careful words of advice, the monster had texted Sans that they were going to meet him at the school, helped Frisk get zipped up into their jacket, and headed out early to stop for Nice Cream.

Burgerpants pulled up to curb at the park and put the car in park. Frisk's legs moved as if they were running in midair from where they dangled over the backseat.

"Okay, little buddy, go get your grub."

The child unbuckled and gave Burgerpants a pointed look, one that caused the monster to begin to sweat rather nervously.

"Uh…go get your Nice Cream."

Frisk refused to budge.

"What? What do you want from me?"

The child directed two fingers toward themselves and brought them to rest on the crook between the thumb and their pointer finger on their other hand that was cupped toward their chest.

"Uh…no."

Frisk's eyes widened. They made a small motion as if they were saluting Burgerpants and then tightened their hand so it nearly resembled an 'o'.

"Why not? Because…because I said so!"

Frisk stuck out their lip.

"No way, little buddy. Don't you remember my spiel about conversing with people like him?"

Frisk made a shrugging motion like they didn't understand what he was getting so upset about. Didn't he want Nice Cream?

" _Never interact with attractive people._ "

Frisk stuck out their lip _and_ made a small circle on their chest with their palm on their torso. _'_ _Please?_ _'_

Burgerpants gritted his teeth before letting out something between a defeated groan and a frustrated screech.

"FINE!"

Burgerpants got out of the car and slammed the door behind him. Frisk clapped their hands and unbuckled, crawling out of his vehicle promptly after him. The monster sulked over to Frisk's side of the car and the child seized his paw, leading him toward the Nice Cream stand.

"Hello!" the blue, rabbit shaped monster called. Frisk waved happily. Burgerpants tittered anxiously.

"How's my favorite customer today?"

Frisk gave him a giant smile like Undyne had taught them how to do.

"Here." Nice Cream Guy gave Frisk a kind smile and reached into the cooler within his stand. "I have the one just for you!"

Frisk reached into their inventory and pulled out three Nice Cream's worth of gold. Although most monsters had switched to the Surface currency, Frisk always kept some on them from the Underground just incase. Every time they held a gold coin in their hand, they couldn't help but be reminded of all the friends they had made in the Underground.

"Oh? You want two more?"

The little human indicated they were paying for Burgerpants and then drew a wide smile on their face in representation of the other person they were buying for.

"I have just the perfect one for him! I hope he likes it!" Nice Cream Guy handed Frisk another Nice Cream and they stuffed it in their pocket. As they began unwrapping their own (they slowly managed to make out that it read _You look nice today!_ on the inside, which made Frisk smile more), Burgerpants took a cautious step toward the stand.

"Hello!" Nice Cream Guy greeted. "Would you like some Nice Cream? It's the frozen treat that warms your heart!"

Burgerpants's insides twisted up in a knot. He felt like he was going to hurl. As Nice Cream Guy was digging around in his cooler for the perfect Nice Cream, Burgerpants tried his best to remain calm. He inhaled a ragged breath and bit down on his tongue. It wasn't like he was having an inaudible internal meltdown. Nope, he was cool. Everything was cool and he was everything that _was_ cool. Like a glacier. He was cool. If you looked up the definition of "cool" in the dictionary, there would be a picture of him looking as cool as the sunglasses emoji on his new phone. Waves of cool were radiating off his body that's how cool he was. Yup, that was Burgerpants. Cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce. As always.

 _Don_ _'_ _t be intimidated,_ he thought. _Just imagine him in his underwear!_

Burgerpants almost fainted when the mental picture of the shirtless monster sporting an impressive six pack formed in his mind.

 _OH NO HE_ _'_ _S HOT!_

With a violently shaking hand, Burgerpants reached out and clutched his treat.

"Here you go! Have a super-duper day!"

"Hehheh…t-thanks."

Burgerpants snatched Frisk's hand and dragged them back to his car, blushing profusely as he did so. Frisk waved to a confused Nice Cream Guy, making sure to quickly sign their thanks as they were hauled back to the vehicle. Burgerpants opened the door for them, lifted them up inside, and squirmed in through Frisk's door into the front seat instead of making the walk around the car by himself while in view of Nice Cream Guy.

 _'_ _Make sure you look at your wrapper!_ _'_ Frisk gesticulated, oblivious to Burgerpants's embarrassment.

As Burgerpants drove off toward Frisk's school, fuming and silently cursing his inability to act like a normal person, he peeked down at his wrapper just as he shoved his Nice Cream into his mouth.

 _Is this as sweet as you?_

He almost crashed the car.

* * *

Thankfully, Frisk and Burgerpants arrived at the elementary school in once piece. Frisk spent the remainder of the ride humming Shyren's song and tapping their yellow rain boots to the melody. Every once in awhile they signed something to Burgerpants (who still appeared to be recovering from the shock of the wrapper and making conversation with Nice Cream Guy) but when they didn't feel like talking anymore they were content with just looking out the window and thinking about all the new places on the way they were taking to the school to explore.

They missed Papyrus.

"Let's go, little buddy," Burgerpants said, holding the door open for Frisk and waiting on them to get out of the car. The human snuck their hand into Burgerpants's and continued to hum, happy to be with their friend.

That was when what was actually about to happen hit them. Frisk faltered in mid step as their breath caught in their throat. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to attend the meeting with the other kids. Frisk cupped one of their ears with their free hand and fought to take a deep breath.

 _"_ _This conversation is for adults, sweetie. Besides, no one can understand you._ _"_

 _"_ _It sickens me to think of all the GMOs she must have consumed to act this way._ _"_

Frisk's hand tightened while in Burgerpants's grip. His ears folded back and he gave the human a curious look.

 _"—_ _That she is not being raised by responsible and caring parents if you are going to bring her up to act like some kind of wild animal._ _"_

 _"—_ _Letting her flap her hands around to speak instead of using her words like a normal human being_ _—"_

 _"_ _Would you just use quiet hands?!_ _"_

Frisk made a small noise in the back of their throat and tried not to let their legs turn to lead when they already felt like they were made out of marshmallows.

"Hey, what's wrong, little buddy?" Burgerpants bent down so he was eye level with Frisk.

 _'_ _Can_ _'_ _t go in._ _'_

"What? Why? You were excited earlier."

 _'_ _The parents are mean to me._ _'_

"Huh?" Burgerpants had lost the humor in his voice.

 _'_ _They call me names,_ _'_ Frisk signed with tiny movements. _'_ _I shouldn_ _'_ _t go._ _'_

"Listen up, little buddy." Burgerpants laid a paw on Frisk's shoulder. "People like that, well…they just want to chew you up and spit you back out. That's why you've gotta make yourself hard, like the steaks shaped like Mettaton's face at the Emporium. So hard that, like that one time, if you were to hit someone with one, their hand will come clean off. Seriously! But that's another story. Be like a…brick steak. Then they'll break their teeth trying to take a bite out of ya. You get what I'm saying?"

Frisk attempted to nod even though they weren't exactly sure what he was saying.

"I don't normally tell people this, but I like you, little buddy, so I'm going to tell you anyway. I'm not the bravest guy around. I'm like any other person: I have my moments of fear. But you just gotta put your chin up and power through, little buddy. Put your chin up and power straight on through."

Frisk straightened their back and summoned their determination. They squinted their eyes and gave Burgerpants a fierce nod.

"Plus…uh…you made me talk to Nice Cream Guy. So…it's only fair."

Alright, Frisk could agree with that even though they weren't exactly sure why Burgerpants was still flustered about getting Nice Cream.

Burgerpants let Frisk stick their hand back into his without a single complaint. With their other hand, the child wrapped their fingers around the locket stashed under their sweater around their neck. Even though they were trying their very best to remain brave, they resumed holding one hand over the side of their head.

Maybe Sans wouldn't notice.

* * *

Sans noticed.

The skeleton had gotten off his shift a few minutes early and decided to pop back to his home to quickly change before driving over to the school. To be honest, he wasn't even sure why he was going to the PTA meeting. After what he had experienced last time, he had felt sick and irritated enough to last a timeline. He didn't want to expend anymore energy on the subpar mothers on the committee.

But then he thought of Toriel and what she had to put up with everyday from other teachers and parents. He thought of Frisk and people like Linda subbing for their class and such powerful hatred filled his ribcage that, even though he wanted to just give up, he couldn't.

He had come far since emerging from the Underground and taking his first steps on the Surface. He had friends and family that he no longer wanted to let down.

 _"—_ _just like the rest of you, i've got every right to be here."_

 _"Honestly, I wasn't sure if you had the right to be. This is the Parent-Teacher Association. I'm not exactly sure what brings you here then seeing as you are neither._ _"_

Neither.

Huh.

Fuck Linda. If he was going to expend energy it was going to be damn worth his while.

That was how Sans ended up ten minutes early to Frisk's elementary school wearing a t-shirt that read _#1 Mom_ underneath his jacket. If he was going to get under Linda's skin, he might as well do it right.

The skeleton, who had been sitting on a bench, texting Papyrus while waiting for Frisk and Burgerpants to arrive, glanced up his cell at the squelch of advancing rubber boots. He smiled (as usual), immediately noticing the hand over Frisk's ear. He continued to smile at the sight as Burgerpants and Frisk drew closer, chuckling under his breath at the fact that the child and Burgerpants were holding hands. Frisk had gotten Burgerpants, of all people, to hold their hand.

That kid could really do wonders.

"hiya, squirt."

The little human dropped their hand once they were by him and beamed. The child canted their head so their temple landed on the lower section of his ribcage. They gave him a small hum of acknowledgment and slipped their hand into the skeleton's, leaning against the monster and clinging to his shirt with their other hand.

"thanks for watching frisk today," Sans said, bringing his free hand down to draw Frisk closer to him. Just as he stretched out his arm to his pocket to grab the cash he had for the babysitter, Burgerpants stopped him.

"Ah…Frisk wants me to…come with you guys," the feline-shaped monster said with an edgy smile and restless twitch of his ears.

"they do?" Sans glimpsed at the human.

 _'_ _Burgerpants is going to meet my friends!_ _'_ Frisk signed as they backed up to flash a dimple at Burgerpants. _'_ _And I got you something!_ _'_

Frisk reached into their inventory and dug around in their pocket for a second before handing Sans the Nice Cream they had bought him.

"oh. heh, thanks kiddo." Sans took the Nice Cream, ruffled Frisk's hair, and tucked it into his own inventory. "you wanna head into into the room? i thought i saw kid, amelia, and olly go in a few minutes ago."

Frisk, who had perked up at their friend's names, dipped their head and rapped their feet on the tile in anticipation. With their friends in mind, Frisk lead the way into the classroom, Sans' hand gripped tight around their wrist and Burgerpants strolling in after them.

As soon as they entered, all eyes were on Frisk and their companions. The room was almost completely full, Linda and her entourage making up a good portion of the class while the only other two monsters in the room—Olly and MK—were sitting by Amelia's parents and the exhausted father from the last meeting who only appeared to be even more tired than before. Linda's side of the classroom had gone oddly still.

"Yo! Frisk!" MK crowed, rushing over to greet his friend. Amelia and Olly were soon to follow. "Yo! Dude, how are you doing?"

Frisk gave their friends a huge grin and began signing to their companions as they introduced Burgerpants.

Sans, on the other hand, stuck his pockets into his jacket and was all smiles. He stared at the shocked parents on Linda's side. They seemed extremely surprised that he had returned after the episode that had occurred last meeting.

"how do you do, fellow pta members?"

Linda took one look at the shirt under Sans' jacket and was already about to explode. The look on her face was making showing up on time for something entirely worth it.

"Excuse me?"

Sans turned at the sound of Diana's voice. She was at the sign in table as usual wearing them same annoyed expression as last time.

"I'm not sure what _he_ _'_ _s_ doing here." She jabbed her pen in Burgerpant's direction. "Incase you forgot, this is a _Parent_ -Teacher Association, not a Bring-Along-Your-Friends Association."

"we're frisk's parents today," Sans explained, taking the maliciously offered pen and writing in his name on the sheet and on a name tag. Burgerpants followed suit, ignoring the stick-on name tag and pointing to the one already pinned on his chest.

"' _Burgerpants_?'" Diana read. "What kind of name is _that_?"

Burgerpants eyed her and, to Sans astonishment, let the comment roll right off his shoulders. "Ask my boss."

 _'_ _We built a giant tower and then we got Nice Cream._ _'_ Frisk was signing enthusiastically as Sans and Burgerpants grabbed a couple of seats at a free table near where Amelia and Olympio's parents were at.

"frisk."

The kid pivoted with a questioning look. Sans extended his hand with his palm facing out toward Frisk and then made a motion with two of his hands as if shouldering something. Frisk, who had been too excited to realize they were still wearing all of their outer garments, made the letter 'y' with their hand and moved it forward and back. They conceded to Sans' request, unzipping their coat and handing Sans their hat. The human straighten out their overalls, traced the heart on the front pocket subconsciously, and made a motion as if they were blowing a kiss in order to give Sans their thanks.

Frisk allowed themselves to glimpse at Linda who had been observing the two of them sign with an icy glare. The child cringed slightly and their hands quivered.

 _'_ _ignore her, frisk. she_ _'_ _s just jealous that you_ _'_ _re way cooler than her. well_ _…'_ He gestured to their discarded coat. _'_ _now you are._ _'_

Frisk giggled and squeezed Sans hand. They settled down beside him and continued communicating with their friends.

"Good afternoon everyone," the woman Sans assumed was Amelia's mother declared. She had a notebook with the word _MINUTES_ written across the front and a pen in hand. "It's time to start the meeting!"

"Hello, hello, hello!" Linda said, standing up and speaking to the quieting crowd of parents and children. "I have an announcement to make! Because Becky Dawson has moved to a different school district, I have good news that I think you will all find rather exciting. As your vice president, I am now the new head of the PTA!"

Linda's group of parents began clapping politely with Helen breaking out into a full out applause. The skeleton felt eyes on the side of his skull and Sans turned, the tired dad and the monster exchanging a look.

Linda looked at Sans pointedly. He had yet to clap his hands.

"oh, sorry," Sans apologized with a shrug. "i was still waiting for the good news."

Linda's ears turned pink. The exhausted father snorted. Sans continued to feel proud of himself.

The woman took a deep breath. "Today we are all gathered here to discuss the upcoming holiday party and the school play. Not only do we have to decided who will be in charge of snacks, drinks, and decorations, but we have to figure out what the play will be this December. Let's start with the Halloween party."

"Well I think that my little Daniel…" Gloria began, kicking off the meeting as the first parent to dive straight into monologging about their own agendas. Sans tried his best to pay as little attention as possible (which he was particularly good at when he tried, he excelled in slothfulness). The skeleton nonchalantly handed Frisk a few pieces of paper and crayons from his inventory, the child making a small noise of thanks in the back of their throat. He watched as the little human picked up the black crayon and began sketching out a large, vaguely dog-shaped amalgamate.

Gloria was still talking. Sans contemplated the art of diplomacy and whether or not detaching his left appendage and tossing it at Gloria like a tomato was really worth it. Sans could tell her that he just wanted to give her a **hand**. The tired dad would probably get a good chuckle out of it—he was currently staring at the cup of coffee in his had like it was his only lifeline. The little boy beside him rocked in his seat. Sans really just wanted some shut eye but the woman's maddening, whining drone prevented any unlucky soul within earshot a millisecond of shuteye.

A weird froth was foaming from Endogeny's orifice and they were wagging their tail. Frisk had drawn themselves into the picture petting the area between the amalgamate's ears and they were holding their trusty stick. They must have just finished playing a game of fetch.

He missed Papyrus.

Sans was hauled out of his reverie by Linda, Helen, Diana, and a parent who's name tag read _Mary Ann._ The four women were staring at him, the curly-haired blonde Mary Ann rather curiously. The skeleton raised a supraorbital arch. Frisk was exchanging bemused looks with Burgerpants and the four parents.

"Sans!" Diana blurted suddenly. "Did you even hear a word I said?"

The skeleton perked up. "oops. sorry, helen."

Diana bit back a vexed screech and dug her pen deep into the clipboard she was holding.

"We have been talking to you this whole time! What do you have to say for yourself?" Helen scolded like a well practiced mother.

"not much."

Helen looked like she was going to blow a gasket. It looked like the pencil in Linda's hand was about to be snapped in two.

"huh?"

"Diana wants to have Halloween decorations, but I wasn't sure whether or not they will make you uncomfortable," Mary Ann explained.

"heh heh…why is that?"

"Are Halloween decorations offensive to your people?" Mary Ann inquired.

Did…did he hear that right? Was he seriously being asked that question? He guessed it was being aimed at him due to the other monsters were children and Linda was trying her best to ignore Burgerpants.

The feline-shaped monster squinted at Mary Ann. He looked just as puzzled as Sans felt. The skeleton was faintly uncomfortable but he suspected she was just trying her best to be considerate. He had never experienced Halloween but he had heard from Frisk (who was very excited about the upcoming holiday, apparently it would be the first time they were able to go trick-or-treating) that children dressed up as cowboys, movie characters, ghosts, monsters—

Oh.

Sans guessed he could see now why it might be considered offensive. But they were just kids dressing up as what they thought were fairytales. Frisk had skeleton footie pajamas that they wore sometimes. He didn't find that offensive, he just found it cute. And, it wasn't like he had ever experience Halloween before. As long as they weren't wearing outrageous, degrading outfits, then he assumed it would be alright. He would have to see for himself. It wasn't like every kid was going to be dressed up as a monster.

"no? well, as long as you're not directly making fun of a monster in the school, i suppose."

"Mary Ann," Helen tried to start but the blonde cut her off.

"Yes, but is Halloween considered cultural appropriation?" Mary Ann plowed on. "Should we provide trigger warnings?"

Burgerpants did his best to stifle a snicker.

"uh…no…" Even though he was uneasy, he kept smiling. He always had to keep smiling. "we monsters like to share our culture. like i said, heh, as long as your not directly makin' fun of the kids, the decorations should be just fine. won't it just be cobwebs, bats, witches, and stuff?"

"Yes, but don't monsters live that way?"

…What?

"heheh…no. we…we live just like you do, mary ann."

"So you'll allow the decorations to be put up and for the children to have fun?" Linda questioned.

" **tibia** honest, that's just putting words in my mouth," Sans pointed out.

A muscle in Linda's eye spasmed. Someone snorted behind him.

"I wasn't sure if you could even open your mouth," Diana broke in. "You're always smiling."

"hey, i'm a pretty **humerus** guy." Sans shrugged. Someone whispered something about the Lord giving them strength.

"I told her he wouldn't care," Linda muttered to Helen. "He doesn't care about anything."

His SOUL gave a sudden involuntary convulsion. From within his pocket, Sans curled his hand into a fist. That may have been partially true once, but he was getting better.

The skeleton decided it would be best to ignore Linda for now. He was going to attempt to be peaceful this meeting, just be on their radar enough to be annoying but not right up in their face about it. That took too much work.

"Alright, so that settles that." Helen said. "Emily, will you make a note of that in the minutes?"

The redhead nodded and scribbled something down in her notebook. For whatever reason, Frisk was staring at the woman with an indescribable expression on their face.

Sans would have to ask them later.

"Let's move on to the main topic of our meeting today," Linda said in a falsely sweet tone. She clapped her hands together and her gaze flitted about the room. "The school play! As you all know, we suggested to bring your children if you would like so we can get their opinion on the school play if they are courageous enough to speak up about it! So don't be shy! All of your opinions are valid!"

"Let's be pirates!"

"No ninjas!"

"Pirate ninjas?"

"Wizard of Oz!"

"Let's do one about flowers and trees!"

"No, Thanksgiving!"

"George, darling, it's going to be in December."

"Yeah, but then we can eat on stage, how cool would that be?"

Linda took each idea with a pleasant smile (as pleasant as ice could act, anyway), but didn't response directly to each idea until one of the children from her side of the room spoke up.

"I think we should do a musical!" one of Diana's daughters chirped. "That would be fun!"

"That's a great idea, sweetheart!" Linda exclaimed. Diana gave her daughter a proud pat on the back.

"Let's do a musical." Gloria nodded.

"I agree," Helen chimed in. "What do you think, Mary Ann?"

"I think a musical is a lovely idea, Helen!"

Sans resisted the urge to roll his pupils around the outer edges of his eye sockets. Frisk was too busy signing everything to Amelia in translation so the little redhead could stay included in the conversation to make a comment.

"I believe we should stick to something classic and traditional," Linda said. "Oh! How about the Virgin Birth?!"

"That is a _wonderful_ idea!" Diana cooed. "So, so wonderful!"

"I agree with you wholeheartedly!" Helen concurred.

"What a classic!" Gloria consented.

"There is nothing more traditional than Jesus's birth, after all," another mother, Susan, said.

Linda grinned smugly as the women around her began to chatter. A few other of the parents were nodding in agreement at the idea, not really wanting to argue. Sans noticed, however, that Frisk was very troubled. They had stopped their signing and Amelia's mother and father looked perturbed as well. With a discreet head tilt Frisk motioned toward Amelia's parents and a woman who was sitting by herself in a headscarf.

 _'_ _They don_ _'_ _t believe in Jesus,_ _'_ Frisk signed. _'_ _But everyone else does._ _'_

Jesus? Was that the Christian religion? Sans didn't know much about religions, but he respected everyone's right to believe in what they wanted whether their savior was some omnipotent being or a hot cat. He wasn't one to judge.

"Y-You know…uh…monsters aren't religious."

Sans turned his head. Out of all people to protest it was _Burgerpants?_

Frisk had a hand on Burgerpants's wrist. It must have been his turn to have the child inspire him to be a better person. Sans decided to settle back and wait his turn—not that he minded, less work for him.

Linda and her groupies looked at Burgerpants for the first time since his arrival.

"Excuse me?" Linda inquired.

"Monsters aren't…uh…religious," Burgerpants said, his voice squeaking slightly. He took a deep breath and relaxed somewhat (even if it was only microscopically).

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Linda asked, her voice as smooth as poisoned honey.

"Everyone calls me Burgerpants," Burgerpants said, introducing himself.

"And _why_ are you here?"

Frisk giggled when his face became expressive as the monster spoke again. "I'm what kids call relatable."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean." Linda broke in, pretending to apologize. To Sans' great amusement, Burgerpants saw through her facade.

"Ah." Burgerpants put a paw on the side of his face. "I'm not surprised. I was just trying to make a point that, as an actor, it is in my belief that we should do something that includes _everyone._ "

" _You_ _'_ _re_ an actor?"

"…Yes."

"I've never heard of you. Have you ever heard of him, Helen?"

"I haven't, Linda. I've never heard of someone called… _Burgerpants_."

Burgerpants appeared to be screaming internally. _Why do I always get stuck in these situations?_ He thought. _I_ _'_ _M ONLY NINETEEN YEARS OLD AND I_ _'_ _VE ALREADY HAD THREE MIDLIFE CRISES._

 _'_ _I think we should do Cinderella,_ _'_ Frisk signed somewhat nervously, their eyes trained on Linda's. The blonde's gaze turned frigid and darted away from Frisk as if she had merely gazed through the child.

Apparently everyone but Frisk had a valid opinion.

"frisk suggested cinderella as a play," Sans said, speaking up for the child. That was the book Sans had been reading to Frisk the past few nights after finishing reading _Peek-A-Boo with Fluffy Bunny_ to Papyrus. Although there wasn't any singing in the novel, there were some musical mice in the movie that Frisk liked to watch every once in awhile. Sometimes when they thought no one was listening, the child would break out in a soft, but rather heartfelt, rendition of "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" before falling asleep for the night.

Frisk gave him a thankful sigh of relief.

Linda gave him a cold look and her lips puckered as if she had a bad taste in her mouth.

"I'm sorry, dear. Could you repeat yourself?" Linda asked Frisk.

Frisk straightened up and beamed. _'_ _I think Cinderella would be fun!_ _'_

"Hm? What was that? I didn't hear you again. What were you saying?"

The boys by Linda snickered. Frisk's face flushed bright red.

Sans was no longer going to attempt to be peaceful.

"you do know that sign language is a language, right?" Sans queried. "it, heh, literally says language right in the name."

"Yes, but, as I told you last time we had this discussion, Miss Dreemurr should _not_ be waving her—"

"their."

"—hands around like some kind of hooligan in order to communicate. She should be using her words!"

Sans gritted his teeth and remained cool, calm, and collected. "are you expecting amelia to 'communicate' with her words then?"

"I beg your pardon?" Linda's eyes widened. "Mr. and Mrs. Netzky's daughter has nothing—"

"amelia is deaf," Sans interjected. "last time i check, most deaf and or mute children in this country learn asl as a first language."

"You're missing the p—"

"frisk isn't verbal. sign language is how they communicate. i'm not exactly sure why your expectations shift so drastically from their kid to my own."

Frisk was giving him that same look that he had received the last time he had referenced Frisk as his child.

"This isn't a discussion about our children, this is a discussion about the holiday play!" Gloria intervened (which, Sans sensed, was _real_ rich coming from her).

"ok." Sans nodded slightly. He maintained his grin as always and locked eyes with each parent on Linda's side of the room. "i think we should do something that is friendly for everyone involved."

"I don't want to sound racist—" Linda began.

Sans rested his head in his hand and gave her a satiric smile. "but you're gonna power through it."

"But what do you know about Christmas? What does you monster know about anything. Your species has been living under a _rock_."

Why couldn't Linda, just for once in her life, be civil?

Burgerpants had a crazed look on his face. Olympio and MK, on the other hand, appeared to be extremely uncomfortable. The kids on Linda's side of the room had their arms crossed and were looking at the monster children with smug expressions. Frisk had scrunched up their face and had stopped working on their drawing that they had returned to in efforts to calm themselves down.

Burgerpants cupped a paw by his mouth and said to Frisk, "I thought I could never meet ANYONE who was worse than Mettaton. I was wrong."

"so heh…you're just going to sit there and teach your kids that this is alright?" the skeleton asked. His SOUL was shaking. Burgerpants appeared to be working up the courage to say something. The air in the classroom was so thick one could cut the tension with a knife. Exhausted dad was on the edge of his seat. It seemed like he had finally found some entertainment in his life.

"That, um, _was_ a bit far, Linda," Mary Ann uttered.

Linda was made out of a block of ice. She radiated conceited waves of superiority.

"heheheh…wow, linda. that was impressively ignorant even for you." Sans was struggling to rein the light back into his eye sockets. "don't be so xenophobic, linda, you're giving us 'suburban moms' a bad name."

"You are _not. A. Mother._ You're hardly even a _parent,_ " Linda began, her voice creeping like molasses and dripping like it was coated in venom. "Ever since you monsters were integrated into this school, the more chaotic and unreasonable this county has become. And I, for one, am concerned! With all of you immigrants flooding in, how will we ever be able to get things done in the PTA? Goodness gracious, there will soon be more monsters than humans in this district!"

Oh for fucks sakes.

Sans was about to make a rather angry and snappy retort when Burgerpants beat him to it.

"So (ha ha) you're afraid of humanity becoming a minority?" the monster commented. "Why, are minorities treated like a second class or something?"

"Oh, go to hell you freak!" Linda exploded, standing up as she was finally pushed over the edge and had reached her limit. "I've heard enough from you two!"

"Sorry little weirdo. Threats won't work on me." Burgerpants's eyes became heavy lidded and he kicked back with an easy grin. His ears flicked in contentment. "I can't go to hell. I'm all out of vacation days."

"We are having a Christian Christmas play!" Linda declared haughtily. "It's traditional!"

"yes," Sans said slowly, getting even more annoyed than he previous thought possible. "but not everyone celebrates christmas."

"Alright, but Christmas _is_ in celebration of Jesus, after all," Linda broke in. "It would be barbaric not to do a holiday play that wasn't in celebration of Him!"

"Barbaric?" Amelia's mother squinted her eyes. "What is barbaric about not celebrating Christmas?"

The woman in the headscarf glowered at Linda.

The tired dad raised his hand. "I make a motion to table this discussion and end the meeting."

"I second that!" the woman in the headscarf agreed.

Linda opened her mouth to object but Mrs. Netzky was faster.

"All in favor or tabling this discussion and ending this meeting say I."

There was nearly an unanimous cry of "I!" and it was Sans turn to feel smug.

"All who oppose?"

Linda kept her mouth shut. Her eyes were two pieces of defined crystal.

"Discussion tabled and meeting adjourned."

Chairs scraped as parents leaped up from their seats and there was a rush to leave the classroom. Frisk was staring blankly at their coloring, eyes glistening as they finished filling in the shirt of the Burgerpants they had been drawing. The child made a few small hearts beside his head and gingerly handed the drawing over the the monster.

"hey, kiddo, you alright?"

Frisk gave a small nod. They were fighting to keep a passive face. Burgerpants examined his drawing and thanked Frisk quietly before stuffing in in his inventory.

 _'_ _Thank you for coming today,_ _'_ Frisk told Burgerpants. _'_ _I_ _'_ _m sorry._ _'_

"Don't be sad, little buddy. It's all good."

 _'_ _I_ _'_ _m sorry,_ _'_ Frisk signed again. They were trying to apologize for Linda's behavior. _'_ _I_ _'_ _m sorry._ _'_

"Bud…" Burgerpants heaved a sigh. "Do you…do you still want me to come over for that movie?"

 _'_ _You don_ _'_ _t have to._ _'_

"I know," Burgerpants said. "But…uh…I'm going to anyway."

Frisk swiped at their nose with a hand and gave him a watery smile. _'_ _Thank you._ _'_

Sans' SOUL gave an indescribable buzz.

* * *

Alrighty so toward the beginning of this chapter where Burgerpants exclaims "RUN AWAY FROM ME!" is based off of this hilarious video by Martina McKenzie called "Burgerpants has a Message" and I just love Burgerpants so much the two voice overs of him by Timber Puppers on youtube you should check those out too omfg

I have finals coming up soon so I'm not sure how updates will probably work. Finals week is May 2nd-4th for me so I have a little bit of time but I just wanted to give you guys a heads up :)

Since you guys liked Sand and Frick interacting so much get ready for some more snans n chair i mean frack bonding next chapter ;)

LV,

-Sav

(p.s. rectangular kits don't work)


	12. Dark, Darker, Yet Darker Pt 2

_They wrapped themselves up in the covers and tried not to cry. They took a deep breath to steady their nerves and fought back the wail that was building in their throat. Their name was Chara. They had climbed Mt. Ebott to_ _…_ _to leave humanity. They had fallen into the Underground. The Underground was real. They had been hurt and the pain and_ _discombobulat_ _ion made them cry out for help in an agonized daze. A little white monster in a green sweater came to help. His name was Asriel. He helped them walk back to his home. His mother, Toriel, had healed them and offered for them to stay in Asriel_ _'_ _s bed while they rested. Monsters were real. Monsters were real and they had helped them, they hadn_ _'_ _t hurt them and_ _—_

 _There was a soft click but Chara didn_ _'_ _t want to look until they had managed to ground themselves. The child clenched their hands around their scarred forearms._

 _"_ _Hello,_ _"_ _a deep voice greeted._

 _Chara spun around. That wasn_ _'_ _t Asriel or Toriel. There was a giant monster that was squeezing through the much smaller doorframe. He looked much like Toriel but with golden hair, broad shoulders, and magnificent ivory horns. Chara flinched at the sight of him and recoiled in on themselves, bringing the covers up in attempt to protect themselves as their fists wound tight in the blankets._

 _"_ _P-Please_ _…_ _please don_ _'_ _t hurt me,_ _"_ _Chara begged. The child_ _'_ _s body quaked and tremors slithered up their spine. The beast approached and Chara_ _'_ _s tears fell faster as they spoke out of instinct._ _"_ _Please, don_ _'_ _t hit me, sir_ _…"_

 _The monster sat down on the edge of their bed and Chara pulled away. To their bewilderment, he gave the human a gentle smile._

 _"_ _Would you like a cup of tea?_ _"_

 _Chara froze in shock._

 _"_ _I have raspberry and blueberry if you prefer fruit. I, however, am partial to a refreshing mint tea._ _"_

 _"_ _I-I_ _…_ _I, uh_ _…_ _um_ _…"_ _Chara was unsure of how to respond. Was it a trick? They had never been shown kindness like this before._

 _They collapsed into sobs. The child covered their confused face with their battered hands and tried to hide within themselves._

 _"_ _I would like to comfort you, if that is alright,_ _"_ _the monster said quietly._ _"_ _Do you mind_ _…_ _if I give you a hug?_ _"_

 _Chara cried harder._

 _"_ _It is alright, I understand. Take your time._ _"_

 _The monster began to hum as he waited. Eventually, the melody lulled Chara out of hysterics and into a state of sniffling tranquility._

 _"_ _Do you have a name, small human?_ _"_

 _The child wiped their face on the sleeve of their shirt._ _"_ _I_ _'_ _m Chara._ _"_

 _"_ _I am Asgore. It is nice to meet you,_ _"_ _Asgore said with another smile._

 _"_ _I-I would_ _…"_ _Chara croaked, their voice tired from crying._ _"_ _I would like some tea now, if that_ _'_ _s okay._ _"_

* * *

Sans reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash, passing it off into Burgerpants's outstretched paw.

"thanks for coming over and and watching a movie with the kid tonight," Sans uttered, adjusting Frisk's pajamas to his other arm. Somewhere behind him Frisk was making car noises at a rather unimpressed flower. "i know you probably didn't want to but it really meant a lot to them."

After returning home from the PTA disaster, Frisk and Burgerpants had spent the remainder of the evening watching some movie with singing animals preaching about having no worries (a message that Sans could really get behind) and one with a girl with flowing golden hair. At the end, after Frisk had their head in Burgerpants lap and they had spent the entirety of the film signing along to the songs with their feet kicked up in their air, the monster exclaimed to a suspicious Frisk that he wasn't crying, he merely had a feeling caught in his eye (and then admitted to sniffling with heavy lidded eyes and commented about how movie endings like that made him want to set himself on fire). Sans had spent most of the two movies in and out of his lab, every once in awhile peeking in to make sure everything was still going alright.

Burgerpants shrugged and stuffed the money into the front pocket of his polo. "That kid may not talk much, but they sure as fuck will listen. They've heard me complain about something once or twice, so I figured I might as well attempt to give back. I'm trying something new that we're on the Surface. Fresh start and all." He shrugged. "But then I think how am I supposed to be genuine if I don't even have enough time to die?"

The monster grinned knowingly and headed toward the door. He then called over his shoulder, "Catch you on the flip slide, little buddy!"

There was a brief pause in the revving of engines Sans guessed was Frisk waving goodbye to Burgerpants. The door slammed shut behind them and fro the window the skeleton spotted a flicker of flame as Burgerpants finally lit up a real cigarette while walking out to his car.

Sans readjusted his pajama shorts covered in hot dogs and strolled back into the living room.

"Stop it Frisk, I hate this game," the flower groused. "I'd rather have that dumb dinosaur stuck in my pot again."

Frisk increased the volume of their car noise as they drove the small race car up the flower's stem and across it's leaves.

"Reset already, Frisk," the flower said.

Sans stopped dead in his tracks.

"Let me die already, Frisk," the flower went on as the human flew the car around its petals.

Frisk handed the flower a car. The flower curled a leaf around the blue mustang and glared at the child.

"Mine's cooler than yours."

Sans would have to ask Frisk more about the flower later. Or finally introduce himself to the plant.

The skeleton glanced up at the clock and patted Frisk on the shoulder.

"bathtime, kiddo."

Frisk nodded. _'_ _What about F-l-o-w-e-y?_ _'_

"they can do what they want to do, i guess."

Frisk scooped up the plant and motioned to the bathroom and Papyrus's room.

"Does it look like I really care?"

Frisk followed Sans over to the bathroom, humming as they did so. As Sans kicked off his slippers, set Frisk's pajamas on the sink countertop, and began to run the water, the little human got down their box of toys from underneath the sink. They chose a rubber duck, a small whale, and a few of Papyrus's bath toys he had brought up from the Underground. To Sans amusement, Frisk pulled out an arm floaty from the box and began to inflate it before sticking the flower's pot down into it. With a giggle, Frisk set the disgruntled plant down into the water and gave it a little spin so it went bobbing across the water.

"Veeerrryy funny, Frisk. I bet you think you're sooo funny," the flower remarked, causing Frisk to giggle. The child then stuck the little whale wearing sunglasses down into his pot and turned to put the box back under the sink.

"c'mon, kid, maybe you should **leaf** him alone," Sans joked with a grin.

The flower grimaced.

"what?" Sans asked. "you don't like puns? **orchid** ding me."

"I want to drown myself."

Frisk, who had been in the process of pulling off their shirt, got their head stuck in the collar of their turtleneck.

"heheheh…c'mere, kid."

Sans helped pull their sweater up over their head and, as the child turned their back to step out of their overalls, his smile faltered and the light left his eyes.

He could remember the first time Sans had ever given Frisk a bath. He could remember the first time they had gotten stuck in their shirt and he had helped them get out of it. He could remember when they turned their body to kick off their pants, how he felt the life drain from his body at the sight of scars of various sizes sliced across the child's back or small burns where cigarettes had been put out on their skin as if their flesh was an ashtray. He could remember how he thought he would never be able to have light sit in his eye sockets again, how he would never be able to feel anything but overwhelming rage and a craze he had rarely felt before, a craze that he had only experienced in timelines where nothing ever went right and his world was plunged into darkness.

He remembered the kiddo had turned back to him with a smile before having it wiped off their face by the expression on his own. He could remember the fear in their eyes, the trembling in their hands as they signed, _'_ _What_ _'_ _s wrong?_ _'_

He remembered that he had stopped his hands from lighting up like a thunderstorm and found himself once again in the child's eyes.

 _"_ _nothin_ _'_ _, kiddo, i was just wondering_ _ **bubble**_ _we do about your toys?_ _"_

The second time he gave them a bath he felt like he was going to be sick.

The third time he felt numb.

Frisk hopped into the tub. They settled down into the warm water and splashed at the bubbles with their hands.

Sans wondered if Toriel had been the first person to ever give Frisk a bath. The way she had described how Frisk was first afraid of the water and cried when Toriel dumped water over their head to rise out the shampoo had made his SOUL scream.

Now, what had initially been a source of great anxiety, Frisk loved splashing around in the tub. Sans sat on the edge of the tub and reached to grab the cup, dunking it in the water and dumping it over Frisk's head. The child canted their head up so the water didn't run into their eyes and they smiled as the warm water ran down their skin.

"heheh, looks like you've got a face underneath all that hair."

Frisk flipped their hair down over their face and then pushed it back so it curled over the top of their head in some kind of sopping medieval updo. The human raised their eyebrows and puckered their lips like a fish.

Sans responded by sloshing more water over their head. He laughed at the face Frisk made behind their curtain of hair. The child swept their hair out of their face and squirted water out of their mouth as if they were a human fountain. They then flopped back into the tub. The waves sent the flower bouncing across the top of the water.

"You're gonna knock me over!" Flowey griped.

Frisk sat up and made a fountain with their mouth again. This time, instead of aiming at the ceiling, it was aimed and the base of the plant's pot.

The flower grumbled something under its breath.

"hold still, kid," Sans said, steering Frisk so they were plopped down in the tub close enough to him that they should scrub shampoo into their hair.

Frisk moved their hands to question whether or not he was going to style their hair.

"don't know, kid, i'll have to **mullet** over."

Frisk stifled a laugh.

" **comb** on, you're smiling," Sans said, slicking the child's hair up into a soapy mohawk.

The child stuck their hands to get some of the bubbles off their head and wiped them across their face. Now equipped with a bubble beard, the brunette moved their rubber duck through the water toward Flowey's pot with little quacking sounds.

"Stop that," the plant snapped.

Frisk lifted the duck up out of the water and make it fly in little circles around Flowey's head.

"I will bite you."

"hey kid," Sans said, catching Frisk's attention. They turned back around to where the skeleton had donned a bubble beard and mustache as well. "i'm **sans** ta claus."

Frisk giggled. The monster's SOUL gave a happy thrum. The skeleton watched as Frisk scooped up from bubbles from the water and applied more to their face. Sans chuckled as the child, much to his surprise, spoke.

"I **m-mustache** y-you a question." The human pretended to curl the end of their mustache and then went on with, "B-But I-I'll **shave** it for l-later."

"Stop," the plant groaned.

He felt like he had literally stars in his eyes. His SOUL tightened as his ribs ached, laughter bursting forth from the skeleton.

"i **hair** you there, kiddo," Sans laughed. "i think that joke was the **highlight** of my night."

The flower's face contorted and he tilted his body to the side. "Say one more pun. I dare you."

Frisk splashed a handful of water at Flowey. He hissed, only to snicker when Sans dumped a cup of water over Frisk's head. The child made a face at Sans and the skeleton only laughed, pouring another cup of water over the child and effectively rinsing out their hair.

"scoot back, kid, i gotta put this gunk in your hair."

Eventually once the conditioner had been massaged into their scalp, their body washed, their hair rinsed out, and Frisk had climbed out of the tub into their awaiting towel, Sans pulled up the hood of the shark wrap and rubbed their hair dry. Frisk only tried to escape into the living room twice, but each time Sans grabbed a hold of their SOUL and yanked them back into the bathroom with an, "oh no you don't."

"c'mon, grab your weirdo plant and brush your teeth," Sans instructed. Frisk sighed and did as they were told, pulling Flowey up from the water, out of his floaty, and setting him on the sink counter. Sans combed Frisk's hair as the child began to brush circles on their molars.

"you know, the **tooth** will set you free," Sans remarked wisely. Frisk gave him a foamy smile.

Flowey began to wish he had arms.

"get your pjs on, squirt, i'll go get your bed ready."

Frisk nodded. _'_ _Can you take F-l-o-w-e-y to my room?_ _'_

Although the flower kind of creeped him out, he didn't see why not. Sans picked up the plant and ambled to Papyrus's room. There he set the resentful Flowey down by the window, pulled back Frisk's covers, and got their book ready all before realizing his feet were bare. But, upon returning to the bathroom to retrieve his slippers, they were no longer where the skeleton had left them.

"hey, kid," Sans called, heading toward the living room. "have you seen my slipp—"

Upon investigation, Sans found Frisk up on the sofa so they were facing the headrest with their pink footsie pajamas on and his slippers in hand. The child had folded them in half and were moving them with their hands so they could talk.

"Blah blah bloop," Frisk said, moving the slipper like a puppet.

Sans snorted. With a flash of his eye and a slight movement of his hand, one of the gloves from Papyrus's extra battle body outfit he had made flew from his brother's room and into his palm. The skeleton grinned and snuck up onto the sofa.

"Meep mop mip," the child said.

"frankly, mr. slipper, your statement has… **off-handed** me," Sans broke in with a wink.

Frisk closed and opened their slipper puppets in excitement.

"in my opinion, beep boop blep."

"Woo wah!" Frisk cheered, moving their left hand so it spoke to the glove.

"alright, you raise a good point, mrs. slipper."

The human was about to reply when they felt the couch slip away from underneath them. The child blinked a few times in bewilderment. They felt something beating on their chest. Frisk looked down at their hands, expecting to see slippers, but instead was met with cut up, dust covered fingers holding a glistening knife. Their heart began to race as they gulped in a breath of air. Their favorite sweater was ripped and splattered with blood and coated in dust. Someone was laughing.

Light poured in through the high arching windows, bathing the golden hall in a heavenly glow. There were bones scattered about on either side of them.

Their feet stepped forward to their own accord. They blinked again, trying to focus in on their blinding surroundings. Their heart stopped when their disoriented vision finally cleared.

Sans had collapsed on the tile, a hand pressed into where his ribs that had been slashed in two. His torsos was spilling red onto the ground. He coughed, more red dripping from his mouth and down his chest.

Frisk opened their mouth to scream as he dissolved to dust before their very eyes. But their jaw didn't move. Their hands didn't fly up to cover their eyes. Their legs didn't run to help.

 **"** **Finally,** **"** a voice that wasn't their own said. Their hand screwed up around the hilt of the knife in their grip. **"** **That was fun, was it not?** **"**

Once again Frisk tried to scream. They felt a hand wrap around their throat.

 **"** **We will be together forever, won** **'** **t we?** **"**

"frisk?"

Sans watched as the child dropped his slippers and a horrified expression crossed their face. Their unfocused eyes darted from side to side and their jaw twitched as if to try and open in a scream.

 **That is what you told me, after all** , the voice continued. **That is what they told me too. They said we would be together forever.**

Frisk could only stare at Sans' pile of dust. They couldn't move their body. The hand tightened.

 **It has been so long, Frisk. I have grown tired of waiting.**

They couldn't breathe.

 **The void consumes. You cannot feel. You cannot call for help. There is only nothingness. It was** **…** **comforting.**

The brunette remained frozen as if trapped in a nightmare. An older child with porcelain skin and a smile like a Cheshire Cat materialized before them.

 **But I have grown bored, Frisk.**

"kid, what's wrong? what's going on?"

 **Your DETERMINATION may outweigh mine, but not for long.**

Frisk's hands quaked. Sans shook the child in attempt to illicit some kind of response. He stopped dead and went rigid when Frisk's eyes flashed red.

 **It is not hard. After all, you are the one who taught me it wasn** **'** **t so.**

 _No. No I didn_ _'_ _t._

 **He is vulnerable. They taught us that that is the prime opportunity to strike. Remember Toriel?**

 _I_ _…_ _I won_ _'_ _t!_

Frisk's hands twitched. Sans looked confused. They felt as if someone else was in their body.

 **Knock his stupid, smiling skull right off. He will never understand us. I am the only one who understands you, Frisk. After all, we** **'** **re partners, remember?**

 _W-We_ _'_ _re not. You're not Chara._

 **I am them but stronger. Much stronger.**

Their hands flexed and their jaw locked. Their eyes became a murky reddish-brown.

 **Remember the euphoria? Remember the feeling swelling through our body as another enemy, another pawn in our game, fell?**

 _No!_

 **Won** **'** **t you come play with me? :)**

Just when they thought their were going to pass out from lack of air, someone spoke.

 ***No.**

 **Oh?**

Another voice. One much more familiar than the last. They were once again in the Judgement Hall. Sans was a stained pile of dust. There were footsteps behind them and another figure came forth.

 _Chara!_

 **How peculiar.**

Chara faced the creature wearing her face. The real Chara's freckles seemed to glimmer in the light of the Judgement Hall.

 **Come along, partner.**

 ***You don** **'** **t belong here. This isn** **'** **t your timeline, it** **'** **s Frisk** **'** **s.**

The Other Chara gave a grin. **For now.**

"kid!"

Frisk shook their head and felt as if they were finally opening their eyes. They were back to where they had been kneeling on the sofa. Their erratic heartbeat slowly began to resume it's normal cadence, their deprived lungs shrieking as they filled with air. Sans hands were on their shoulders and he was staring at them, obviously concerned by the way his usual smile was twisted down into a frown.

Frisk put a hand over their ear. They could still feel the Other Chara's fingers clamped down their neck.

"are you alright?" Sans asked. "what happened?"

 _'_ _Want to sleep,_ _'_ Frisk signed with trembling hands. They were trying to excuse themselves. _'_ _Want to_ _…_ _want to_ _…'_

The child bit their lip and threw their arms around Sans. As soon as they had entered his embrace they burst into tears.

"kiddo…" Sans trailed off. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around them as well.

Frisk curled up in his lap and burrowed their face into his shirt. "M-M-My f-f-fault…A-A-All my f-fault…"

"what's wrong?" Sans questioned quietly. "what happened?"

"Y-Y-Y-You w-w-were d-dead," the little human sobbed. "I-I-I'm s-s-sorry. I-I'm s-s-so sorry."

Sans stiffened.

"D-D-Don't make me," the child hiccuped. "T-T-Tell t-them to le-leave me ah-alone."

"make you do what? who needs to leave you alone?"

The name Frisk choked out caused the magic in his bones to turn to ice.

"Chara."

 _"what?"_

Frisk's hands shook as the child waged war with the words that longed to spill from their mouth, with words that they were afraid they weren't allowed to say. They were incapable of speech, they didn't want to talk, they couldn't talk, it was their fault—

 _'_ _Didn_ _'_ _t mean to,_ _'_ they finally managed to sign. _'_ _Wasn_ _'_ _t me. Not safe._ _'_

"'course you are, kid, i'm here. i'm not gonna let anything happen to you. i'm rootin' for ya, remember?"

The skeleton sunk back into the couch and pulled Frisk with him.

"whenever you're ready to talk, i'm here for ya, kiddo," Sans muttered.

Frisk's head lashed in his chest. He cupped the back of their head with a hand and pressed it into his sternum.

"i-i'm here, frisk. i'm not leavin' you."

(Frisk was terrified of what would happen if they fell asleep.)

(They clung to reality to reality until they slipped away into a vision of star speckled skies and telescopes that didn't leave marks around your eyes.)


	13. Spooky Ass Demons

***That was a close one, wasn't it?**

 _*You lightly touched the Dog. It's already overexcited…_

 _Frisk bounced up and down in joy._

 _"_ _You know, he would have just let us go after you threw your stick," Chara pointed out._

 _Frisk shrugged and stayed still as a blue sword passed through them. Frisk chose to ACT and picked one of the many *Pet actions Chara had suggested._

 _*You pet the dog. It was a good dog._

 _Frisk laughed as Lesser Dog_ _'s neck raised higher and he let out a series of excited barks. Frisk jumped about happily, bounding to the side when Lesser Dog barreled at them._

 _*Lesser Dog is overstimulated._

 _Frisk decided to pet the dog again. Chara rolled their eyes._

 _*You pet the dog. Its excitement knows no bounds._

 _Another dodged attack. Another giggle and pet._

 _*Critical pet! Chara exclaimed. *Dog excitement increased!_

 _Lesser Dog_ _'s neck was so elongated he could no longer attack. Distracted by Frisk's petting, the monster settled next to Frisk so they could be pet more._

 _"_ _This is chaos. We_ can _SPARE him, you know."_

 _Frisk ignored them. They had always wanted a dog._

 _Chara sighed as Lesser Dog made a noise equivalent to motor revving. Another pet, another witty comment, and another increase in the length of the dog_ _'s neck. Frisk raised their hand but Lesser Dog's neck had already shot up with a sound like a plane taking off._

 _*You don_ _'t even pet it. It gets more excited._

 _*Lesser Dog shows no signs of stopping._

 _Chara flopped into the snow as Frisk continued to pet the monster that was whistling like a kettle._

 _*There is no way to stop this madness._

 ***I…I made a promise to you. Just like you made a promise to me.**

 _"_ _Oh look," Chara pointed to the dog._

 _*Lesser Dog has entered the realm of the clouds._

 _"_ _I like dogs just as much as you, but can we get going? I can't believe I'm saying this but you're making me_ want _to do Papyrus's puzzles."_

 _With the next turn Lesser Dog_ _'s neck made a U-Turn._

 _*You can pet Lesser Dog again._

 _"_ _Hope you're happy."_

 _More turns. More laughter. More pets._

 _"_ _I take back what I said earlier. You like dogs way more than I do."_

 _*It_ _'s possible you may have a problem._

 _Lesser Dog_ _'s head stuck into the ground. Frisk rolled through the snow with a hoot._

 _*Lesser Dog is unpettable but appreciates the attempt._

 _His head stuck back out of the ground and began to shoot up again._

 _*Perhaps mankind was not meant to pet this much. Chara remarked smartly. *It continues._

 _Lesser Dog made an odd expression as he began to lower back into the snow._

 _*Lesser Dog is questioning your choices._

 _Another decisive pet._

 _*Lesser Dog has gone where no Dog has gone before._

 _Frisk tried to pet the monster again but was unable._

 _*Lesser Dog is beyond your reach. Chara said in exasperation._

 _Frisk tried to pet them again. It was unsuccessful._

 _*Really? Chara raised an eyebrow. Lesser Dog whined because he couldn_ _'t see the human._

 _"_ _C'mon, Frisk, let's go. You can't even pet him anymore. He has reached maximum tail velocity."_

 _Frisk sighed and spent their turn with their hand over the MERCY button. They SPAREd Lesser Dog and his neck shrunk back to normal size. He gave Frisk_ _'s face a lick and scampered off with happy yips._

 _"_ _I hope we never encounter a dog monster again."_

 ***We** **'re…we're going to get through this, alright?**

 _"I thought Asriel was weird," Chara said with a laugh. "C'mon, are we going to do those puzzles you like or what?"_

 ***After all** **…you're the one who said we can do anything as long as we're together.**

 _*Papyrus blocks the way!_

 _"_ _I don't want to fight him!" Frisk blurted from their SOUL."He's my friend! What should I do?"_

 _"_ _Let's check him first," Chara said with a nod. *PAPYRUS 20 ATK 20 DEF._

 _Chara cleared their throat and readied their impression. *He likes to say:_ _"Nyeh heh heh!"_

 _"_ _NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus cackled. Frisk braced themselves for his attack but every bone he threw missed horribly._

 _"_ _That was…interesting. Hmm…try telling him an *Insult."_

 _Frisk shook their head in disbelief._

 _"_ _That's right, you don't like to have fun," Chara retorted. "Uh…what about what you did with the Moldsmals? Maybe that will throw him off!"_

 _Frisk straightened their ribbon and wiggled their hips. Papyrus_ _'s eyes widened and his jaw dropped when the little human blew him a kiss._

 _"_ _WHAT?! FL-FLIRTING?!" Papyrus composed himself and his_ _supraorbital_ _ridge arched. "SO! YOU FINALLY REVEAL YOUR_ _ **ULTIMATE FEELINGS**_ _!"_

 _Frisk blew him another kiss and waved._

 _"_ _W-WELL!" Papyrus put a hand on his lower spine near his pelvis. "I'M A SKELETON WITH VERY HIGH STANDARDS!"_

 _*I have zero redeeming qualities. Chara suggested hopefully._

 _Frisk thought for a moment. They moved to sign but remembered that no one could understand them here. They faltered, afraid to speak, but knew that Papyrus was a person with who they could be safe. A person with who they wouldn_ _'t be punished. "I-I can m-make sp-spaghetti!"_

 _"_ _OH NO! YOU'RE MEETING ALL MY STANDARDS!" Papyrus wailed._

 _Frisk dissolved into laughter._

 ***I won** **'t give up. I'm going to be strong like you.**

 _"NYEH! WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY SECRET STYLE?!"_

 _*I hate it. Chara said with a frown._ _"Are those basketballs?"_

 _Frisk gave him two thumbs up and a wide beam._

 _Papyrus_ _'s eyes bulged out of their eye sockets. "NO! A GENUINE COMPLIMENT! HOWEVER…YOU TRUELY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE_ _ **HIDDEN POWER**_ _OF THIS OUTFIT! THEREFORE…WHAT YOU JUST SAID IS INVALID! THIS DATE WON'T ESCALATE ANY FURTHER! UNLESS YOU FIND…_ _ **MY SECRET!**_ _BUT THAT WON'T HAPPEN!"_

 _The little human took his hand. Papyrus blushed_ _profusely, overwhelmed by the strength of Frisk's dating power. He turned around and fought catch his breath._

 ***I** **'m going to try my best to not let that thing control me. Not again. Not ever again.**

 _Chara watched as Frisk closed their eyes and basked in the warm glow of the sunrise. The younger of the two sat with their legs dangling over the edge of the mountain with a content smile on their face._

 _"_ _We did it," Frisk whispered._

 _Chara wished they could take the little human_ _'s hand. It wouldn't be long before Frisk would be able to sense the sorrow they were trying to hide within them. They had never felt this way with anyone other than Asriel. They had never been able to love another human before, had never been able to care about someone so intensely and unwaveringly like they had with their family below the Surface._

 _They had grown to love Papyrus. They had started to tolerate Sans. They had begun to like Mettaton and Alphys and Undyne. They wanted their time to be longer with Toriel, with Asgore, with Asriel._

 _But_ _…_

 _It wasn_ _'t long before Chara would have to reveal that there was warmth creeping up their extremities and how sleepy they felt. They could sense that their time with Frisk was coming to an end._

 _They didn_ _'t want to let go._

 ***But** **…if it does…be ready, Frisk. Stay determined.**

* * *

The next few days that went by passed without an incident. Some nights that Frisk drifted off to sleep they could feel the other being within them glitter with life and Chara's voice would drift into their dreams. Other nights when they reached out to the separate beat it would pulsate weakly as if somewhere there was a struggle and the human was met with cold emptiness.

Frisk would go to school, stick close to MK, and wish that Undyne and their mother were there with them in the school. They wished that they could have gone to D.C. with them and acted as Ambassador like they did so frequently when monsters were just getting settled into Ebott, when monsters were filing for papers so they could travel and see what they had been missing in the world while trapped under the Surface.

But, the human couldn't wait for class to end. When they were done with school their mother and the others would be returning home. Flowey said he was ready to finally be introduced to their family (he claimed it was because he was sick and tired of sitting in the child's room all the time) and Toriel had said on their FaceTime the previous night that to celebrate her and the others coming home she would be making apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. Frisk, who was watching the clock tick down and doodling absentmindedly in their notebook, licked their lips at the thought.

When the bell finally rang to signal the end of the day, Frisk shoved their notebook and crayons into their backpack and headed for their cubby with the other children. Being nearly a head shorter than most of the other children in their class meant they had to wait patiently for their more inconsiderate classmates who barged their way to their cubbies and lockers, shouldering and jostling anyone who crossed their paths as they fought to be the first on the playground.

Frisk hummed the tune of the music box that was cradled in the arms of a statue that sat in a state of eternal vigil. The little child remembered when they first hummed the song while their mother was listening and she asked, her voice quivering, where Frisk had heard that song. She was quiet for a long time after the human explained.

"See you later, Frisk!" MK called, wriggling their tail in a wave goodbye. Frisk returned the gesture with their hand and smiled to themselves as MK trailed after his parents into the hallway. Once there was an opening, Frisk moved in to grab their folder and papers for home from their cubby only to find that their nook was empty. The child resisted the urge to scratch their head in bemusement. Their eyes flitted up to find that their papers and folder had been moved to the top of the rack. They frowned.

Frisk reached up high. The wiggled their fingers and rocked on their tiptoes. They stretched and bounced and grunted with effort. Even extending their arm as far as they could wasn't enough.

They heard laughter from the hallway.

Determined, the child coiled their legs and sprung. They swiped at the top of the rack but they only managed to knock one of the flyers down.

The snickering grew when they jumped again only to land on their butt.

"Frisk?"

The child glanced toward Mrs. El-Hashem's desk. Their teacher had finally noticed their struggle and was approaching.

"How did your stuff get up there?" their teacher inquired. She pulled the child's folder and paperwork off of the shelf with ease. "Here, turn around, dear."

Frisk did as they were told and stood still as Mrs. El stuck their papers into their folder and unzipped their backpack. When their stuff was securely inside, she patted Frisk on the back to signal for them to face her and gave them a kind smile.

"There, you're all set. Do you know who is picking you up today?"

Frisk nodded. Even though Mrs. El was always kind to them, they were suddenly nervous to be talking to her one-on-one. The small human picked a stray thread off of their sweater that was covered in little ducklings. They briefly made eye contact with the woman before resorting to looking at their shoes.

 _'D-a-d.'_

"Mr. Dreemurr? But isn't he in—"

Frisk shook their head. _'S-a-n-s.'_

"Oh," Mrs. El chuckled lightly. "My bad. Have a great day, dear. I will see you tomorrow!"

Frisk pointed to their eyes with a pointer and middle finger and turned their hand so they made the letter 'l' toward the ground to tell their teacher that they would see her later.

The child brushed their hair back away from their face and equipped the faded ribbon with nimble hands. They then started toward the playground with a skip in their step at the thought of their family returning home. They resumed their humming at the thought. The human's mind wandered as they daydreamed about the first time they met Undyne and their first cooking lesson.

Unfortunately, they were met with some disgusted yells on the playground.

"Hey! It's that kid who freed the monsters!"

Frisk glimpsed over their shoulder. They kept up a brisk pace toward the swings when they noticed that it wasn't Billy and Timmy like usual, but a gaggle of older boys Frisk recognized from the fifth and sixth grade.

"My neighborhood is filled with those things because of you!"

"I heard that their parents hated them so much that they sold them to monsters."

"I heard that monsters cut out and _ate_ their tongue so that's why they don't talk."

" _I_ heard that they hate humans so that's why they live with monsters."

"My dad says that monsters are gonna get it!"

"My mom won't even let monsters in her store!"

"Where are you going, monster girl? Running off to your parents? OH WAIT!"

They burst into hysterics.

Frisk kept walking. Their hands began to shake.

"Hey! We're talking to you!"

Someone seized the child by their backpack. The child was dragged into an ENCOUNTER sequence.

"Did you hear us?" One of the boys spat at Frisk's boots.

Frisk chose to SPARE them. They stood still and shook their head to signal they weren't going to FIGHT.

A brown haired boy shoved them to the ground. Frisk landed hard on their tailbone, a jolt of pain shooting up their spine.

"My dad says monster lovers are gonna get it too," the boy who had pushed them down barked. "He says that he's gonna help put a stop to monsters on the Surface."

* **Here. Let me help.**

Frisk's eyes went wide as they felt a familiar sensation flood their body with heat. It nestled down into the crook of their ribcage and spread upward until their entire torso was overcome with the feeling.

 _Chara?! How…?_

 ***I don't have much, but I think I have enough. He's been showing me a few tricks since my Re-Reawakening.**

The child, who had been debating whether or not they should try to ACT, skipped back to the main panel.

 ***Spare them this round. The next turn, we're going to have some fun.**

The child did as they were told.

"What? You just gonna sit there and act dumb?" a blond boy snapped. He kicked dirt up into their face. Frisk coughed and did their best to cover their eyes.

 ***I redact my earlier statement. We're going to have** _ **a lot**_ **of fun. :)**

Once it was Frisk's turn again, the warmth within them intensified and their hand was guided to the ACT menu. The choices were blurred and jumbled. Frisk had trouble making them out.

*ςĦΞςқ *ךּĺ¡я‡ *฿טяמ *‡Ξяяθя¡ζΞ

Chara helped them chose the second option.

 ***** **ךּ** **ĺ¡я‡**

"Hey, are-are you a d-doormat?" Frisk asked. Their legs moved them up onto their feet.

"What?" The blond was confused. "No?"

 ***** ฿ **ט** **я** **מ**

The fever trapped in them grew until they felt as if their insides were victim to an open flame. There was a buzz of voices in their head like multiple sentences their thoughts were fighting to string together. They blinked hard against the feeling building up in their mind and when they finally reopened their eyes they flashed, changing in a split second from their usual brown to crimson.

" **Because I'd LOVE to step on your face.** "

Frisk watched as the boys stumbled back in fright. They felt a smile that wasn't their own split across their mouth and they felt themselves wearing Chara's signature creepy face.

 ***‡Ξяяθя¡ζΞ**

Chara steered their body and they lurched forward as their smile spread into a grin. The boys yelped and screeched. The ENCOUNTER ended as they chose to FLEE, the panel dissolving into nothingness.

The fire that had burst to life in the child settled into glimmering embers.

 ***And** _ **that's**_ **how you deal with bullies.**

 _That wasn't nice!_

 ***Yeah, but now they'll leave you alone until they work up the courage to be di…meanie heads again.**

Frisk's brow furrowed. _Can we try to be nicer next time?_

 ***If there is a next time. This isn't the Underground, anymore, I'm drained enough as it is.**

 _Oh._ Frisk tapped their lip. _Maybe you should take a nap!_

Chara made a noise in the back of their throat. As their voice grew softer and more distant, Frisk could feel a gentle nudge of a smile. Something twitched inside Frisk like the stutter of a heartbeat and the child clung to the link between them as long as they could.

 _Please, don't go. I miss you. I wish you could come to class with me. I wish—_

 ***I know. But I'm here and you are there. We should be thankful enough that I sometimes have the energy worked up enough to defend you since you obviously weren't going to do it.**

The little human closed their eyes and focused on the small tendrils of fire that was stroking on the outside of their lungs. They imagined wrapping the tender heat in a hug.

 _Thanks, Chara._

A quiet laugh and a flickering tempo of color that sparked behind their eyelids. The connection became a muted hum. Frisk propelled it to the back of their mind with a ginger tug and surveyed the playground.

They wished that Asriel and Chara were sitting on the swing set instead of a pair of fourth graders. They wished that they could show them the stars just like they had on their first night with their family above the Underground.

"hiya, squirt."

Frisk smiled to themselves and pivoted to take Sans' hand. They gave him a wave.

"how was school?"

 _'It was good. Excited to go.'_

"yeah," Sans squeezed their hand. "me too. c'mon, let's see if pap and them beat us home."

* * *

Frisk was far too excited to sign at the thought of the rest of their family being home and Sans didn't entirely mind. Although he would never show it, he was just as excited as the kiddo was. It had been a long few days without his brother or Toriel and he knew that his brother would have all kinds of stories to tell him about his trip. Sans was gonna let his cool bro talk all he wanted; he didn't care whatsoever as long as his brother's trip was a fun one.

Sans allowed his mind to wander instead and only reeled in his thoughts when they started to stay down paths he never wanted them to take. He thought of the multiple universe theory that they had applied in their research to understanding timelines. He thought of the few he had discovered and those that he could barely remember, fragments of a time spent in another stage spiraling to the front of his mind and pieces of memories coming to life (for instance, the run where everything had been a musical for whatever odd reason and the run where he had donned a blue scarf and his brother a red hoodie. There was another where everyone wore bright colors, listened to some "sicknasty tunes" and his catch phrase had been things like "yoyoyo lil human dude" and "wanna have a rad time, brah?" For some reason he could distinctly recall that that timeline had occurred twice, each path vastly different from the other, and the human had certainly felt their sins groovin' on their afro. Although he couldn't remember anything that really happened, he could recall that timeline had been one _hell_ of a trip.).

When they finally pulled onto their road and into their driveway, Frisk started vibrating almost as intensely as Temmie.

"keep that up and you're gonna shake the car," Sans commented. Frisk patted out a drumroll on their legs with one hand and proceeded to unbuckle themselves with the other.

The pair got out of the car once it was parked, Frisk bolting into their home and Sans strolling in with his hands in his pockets and an easy smile after the extremely enthusiastic human. Sans had entered the home just in time to witness Frisk leaping into their mother's arms as the skeleton kicked off his sneakers and stepped into his slippers.

"Greetings, my child!" Toriel exclaimed, showering the little human in kisses. He couldn't help but grin at the sight.

Toriel, Asgore, Undyne, Alphys, and Papyrus were all packed in the kitchen looking worn but happy at the sight of shorter skeleton and their human. Although Sans felt the urge to mimic Frisk and fling himself at his brother, he opted for a shrug and a lazy, "'sup."

"''SUP' BROTHER!" Papyrus yelled, doing the work for his brother by running over to him, picking him up into his arms, and twirling the two of them around in happy circles. "IT HAS BEEN AGES SINCE I HAVE LAST SEEN YOU!"

"it hasn't even been a full week, pap."

"I HAVE MISSED YOU!"

Frisk, who had been released from the hug from Toriel, sprung up onto Papyrus's back.

"HUMAN! NYEH HEH! HOW I HAVE MISSED YOU AS WELL! ARE YOU HERE TO JOIN OUR GROUP HUG?"

Frisk nodded into Papyrus's spine.

"WOWIE!"

The three of them were lifted up into the air as Undyne picked the trio up in a hug.

"FUHUHU!" She bended and jumped into a friendly suplex which knocked over several chairs in the process. Undyne pulled Frisk into a chokehold and began to noogie them as if she was trying to rub their brains out with her knuckles. The child screeched out a laugh and grappled with the monster as they struggled to escape. Sans took the opportunity to lay back on the floor and relax against his brother's ribcage as Undyne and Frisk wrestled on top of them.

"Undyne," Toriel warned. Undyne peeked up at the former queen, caught her stern look, and immediately froze in mid noogie. With a sheepish smile she unhanded the human so they could greet and exchange hugs with Asgore and Alphys as well.

"We brought you something from our trip, my child," Toriel said once Frisk was done embracing their family. "Would you like me to go get it?"

Frisk's head bobbed and they signed something so fast in their merriment that Sans, who had only been paying half attention from where Papyrus was picking him up into another hug, didn't catch it. As Toriel left the kitchen, Frisk scaled Asgore's enormous legs (he had dwarfed the stool he was sitting upon) and into his lap. They signed to him cheerfully, most likely asking for hints knowing the kid.

"OH, SANS! THAT REMINDS ME! I BROUGHT YOU A PRESENT AS WELL!" Papyrus set his brother down and reached into his inventory. To Sans surprise, his brother pulled out a pack of socks. Sans' eyes widened and his SOUL gave an enraptured spasm.

In Papyrus's grip was a trio of socks, one splattered with stars and planets, one covered in airplanes, and the other dotted with boats floating upon the blue fabric. Sans beamed up at Papyrus and tried to hide the stars in his eye sockets when they were handed to him.

"pap…"

"DO YOU LIKE THEM? I THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE A NICE ADDITION TO YOUR COLLECTION."

"they're _great_. really, pap, i love 'em. thanks a skele **ton** , bro."

Papyrus grimaced. "I HAVE CHOSEN TO IGNORE THE LAST PART OF YOUR SENTENCE BECAUSE I MISSED YOU."

"i really do like then, pap."

Undyne guffawed. "He saw them at the Smithsonian. Figured since you couldn't be there, he would get you something."

"you went to the smithsonian?" Sans inquired in awe.

"YES! YOU WOULD HAVE LOVED IT!"

"There were so many displays!" Alphys gushed. "And we got to visit the particle collider!"

"a particle collider?!" Sans resisted the urge to cover his mouth. He felt like he was going to gasp or scream or both at the same time. His bones ached in longing.

"AND GUESS WHAT, SANS!" Papyrus's arched a supraorbital ridge. "THEY WERE ON SALE! I GOT THEM IN A PACKAGE DEAL! HOW THRIFTY IS THE GREAT PAPYRUS?"

"pretty thrifty, bro. you really are the coolest. how did you know i've still been **stocking** up on these?"

Papyrus made a face. "OLD HABITS DIE HARD, I SUPPOSE."

"i **heel** you there." Sans pointed to the boat socks with a smirk.

"YOU'RE MAKING ME REGRET BUYING YOU SOCKS."

"heh c'mon that was two in one."

Thankfully, Papyrus was spared by Toriel reentering the kitchen. Sans gave her a wink; he knew what the purple bag contained, the monster had informed him of the gift she had picked out for the human. Sans could only observe in amusement as Frisk began to get off of Asgore's lap only to be set up on the countertop by the former king so everyone could watch them open the gift.

Frisk dug down into the bag and their eyes dilated to the size of saucer plates when they spotted what gift contained. The human kicked their feet and pulled out a pale pink leotard and tights and a matching tutu and ballet slippers that weren't scattered with holes. Frisk's hands began to quake in delight. They signed a barely comprehensible thanks and slid down from the countertop. The child rushed out of the kitchen and toward their bedroom. The door slammed behind them.

"i think they liked it," Sans remarked.

In a flash, the child had spun back into the kitchen in their new getup. A determined look flitted over their face. They looked incredibly dangerous.

Sans fought back a laugh. Toriel waved them child to her and she redid the ribbon in their hair, pulling the human's hair back out of their face and up into a tiny bun.

 _'Thank you!'_

"How is it? Does it fit alright, my child?" Toriel asked.

 _'Love it!'_

"Asgore picked it out," their mother explained. "I cannot take all the credit."

Frisk plucked the old tutu from their inventory and handed it to Papyrus. He cackled and stepped into the accessory. Together, the pair began to pirouette across the kitchen and through the living room.

"Wait, Frisk!" Alphys cried as if suddenly remembering something important. Frisk leaped to the monster's side with a curious look. Alphys rung her hands and glanced expectantly at Undyne. Undyne gave her girlfriend a nod and motioned for her to continue.

"W-We, uh, U-Undyne a-and I got you s-something too," Alphys stammered with a blush. She reached into her inventory and pulled out a stuffed elephant with a dark blue bandana tied around its neck. Frisk gave Alphys a broad beam and proceeded to jump up and down. The child pulled the elephant into a hug and they twirled.

"W-We g-got i-it at the z-zoo!" Alphys elucidated gladly. She was slightly taken aback when Frisk lunged and wrenched the monster into a thankful hug.

"HUMAN!" Papyrus yelled. "LET OUR COMPETITION CONTINUE! THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS NEVER BEEN BEATEN IN PIROUETTING AND NEVER WILL!"

Frisk nodded and the pair continued their contest, Frisk spinning with their new companion in arms.

"Great job, Alphys," Undyne praised once Papyrus and Frisk were in the living room. "Frisk really seems to like your gift."

"I t-though i-i-i-it would be s-safer than a…a…miniature…particle collider?" Alphys tittered nervously. "P-Personally, it w-would have been mu-much cooler but…"

"you could have gotten me one," Sans commented.

Alphys blushed and raised her coffee to her lips. "Yeah…I-I know…I j-just didn't think Qu…T-Toriel would a-appreciate having one i-in her home."

"ah, she might have come **around** to it." Sans winked. "you gotta think **positive**."

Alphys snorted ungracefully into her coffee. She spat the contents of her mouth back into her mug when she saw what was in Frisk's arms when the little human returned to the kitchen.

Frisk was holding a disgruntled looking flower that had been stuffed into a pot. The head of the flower swiveled about the room and gave everyone within it a cautious grimace.

"WHERE DID YOU FIND HIM?" Papyrus was exclaiming as he followed Frisk back into the kitchen. "I HAVEN'T SEE HIM SINCE WE LEFT THE UNDERGROUND! WOWIE! NOW WE CAN FINALLY START THAT FAN CLUB!"

"Oh?" Toriel raised a brow. "Who is this, my child?"

 _'Everyone, this is F-l-o-w-e-y!'_ Frisk signed after setting the flower down on the counter with their new elephant. _'He's a friend of mine from the Underground.'_

"A-A… _friend?"_ Alphys stuttered. She began to sweat nervously.

 _'He doesn't have a home,'_ Frisk signed to their mother and Sans. _'Do you mind if he stays with us for now?'_

"Not at all, my child," Toriel said. "Sans, do you have any objections?"

Sans shook his head. It wasn't that he minded having the flower there, although, he had to admit, something about the plant made him very uneasy as if he was forgetting something he was supposed to know, something important…and he had knowledge of resets which meant he most likely knew about timelines so it was best to keep him close for now.

"Flowey you may stay with us as long as you like," Toriel told him with a smile. "Every monster is welcome within our home."

Flowey glimpsed over at her as if slightly embarrassed. He then squinted slightly. "Thanks," he said, his words oozing with sarcasm.

 _not like he had much of a choice,_ Sans thought. _as long as he's in that pot, he's, heheh,_ _ **rooted**_ _to the kid. heh._

Every monster in the kitchen gave a brief hello and studied the flower who was glaring back at them defiantly as if challenging them to say something against him. When no one protested, Frisk plucked one of the many colorful bandaids in their pack within their inventory and stuck it on his pot with a grin. The child gave him a thumbs up. He rolled his eyes.

"My child?" Toriel stooped down and picked up the human's backpack that had been discarded by their shoes. "I will be making dinner soon. In the mean time, now would be a great time to finish your homework if you have any."

Frisk stuck their lip out.

"Yes, I know we are finally home, but school comes first. Perhaps Undyne and Alphys can help you."

"AND PAPYRUS!"

Toriel giggled. "Of course. And Papyrus."

Frisk took three fingers on each hand and hit them together on the side of the pointer finger on one and the side of the pinky on the other.

"UGH, math?" Undyne groaned. "I—"

Toriel narrowed her eyes.

"Absolutely LOVE math!" Undyne shouted, changing her whole tone of voice. She picked Frisk up from their waist and carried the child and their backpack at her hip. "C'MON bestie let's do this thing!"

Alphys and Papyrus raced after her, the skeleton grabbing Flowey and the elephant while crowing about his mathematical skills were unparalleled to anyone else.

"so." Sans settled down into a seat at the counter across from Asgore as Toriel busied herself at the stove. "how did it go?"

The optimistic expression Asgore had painted on his face began to fade at Sans' words. "We…could not get the law repealed."

Sans' eye sockets widened. Toriel's back stiffened from where she was standing at the stove. "what?"

"One of the men of congress decided to filibuster," Toriel described quietly. "He began speaking at about five-thirty in the evening and continued talking until about a day and a half later."

"is that…is that even allowed?" Sans questioned. Something was resounding within him.

"His prolonged speech obstructed all progress in our legislative assembly," Asgore added. "There was nothing we could do. After our representatives had spoken, he recited human passages such as the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, farewell addresses from several presidents, and other various historical documents."

"He even read _Green Eggs and Ham_." Even though her back was still turned, Sans could feel the overwhelming deadpan. "Undyne nearly smote him."

"i can imagine."

Fuck could Sans imagine. He could see Undyne being held back by Alphys and Asgore, the latter muttering orders almost akin to those she received as the Head of the Royal Guard (except this time the ex-king begging her not to act while commanding her to sit still and not spear the speaker through the face).

"We have to wait before another enactment on the law," Toriel uttered. "Frisk will have to come with us next time. They 'somehow' forgot to mention until the last hour or so we were there that we needed our ambassador. Even though we were already told it would not be necessary."

Sans still didn't want Papyrus dealing with a bunch of sleazy politicians let alone the kid. A flare of magic burst in his chest and made it feel as if his bones were made of ice. He fought back a shudder, calmed himself, and smiled at the past monarchs. Just as he readied himself for a response, there was a loud commotion in the living room and the sound of Undyne most likely breaking something. Toriel glanced over in concern, ready to break up whatever fight was taking place in the living room when Frisk galloped into the kitchen.

Sans immediately reeled the bitterness back out of his voice.

"'sup, kiddo."

Toriel tried to walk into the living space where Undyne was still shouting and swearing freely. Whatever had occurred had made her super upset.

"My child, what is happening?"

 _'Undyne's mad because F-l-o-w-e-y ripped up my homework.'_

"Ripped up your homework?!"

"huh? why's that?" Sans mused.

 _'Alphys accidentally told me the wrong answer and F-l-o-w-e-y called her a mean name. And Undyne got mad and said something not very nice and F-l-o-w-e-y said something even more not very nice about Alphys. And then she started crying which made Undyne more mad. I tried to take the bandaid off his pot because I thought that might help because he doesn't like it and then he told me he was going to bite my fingers off. And then he said he was going to poison our food.'_

"LET ME AT HIM!" Undyne was yelling. "I'M GONNA KILL HIM!"

"heh. sounds like he needs to get **grounded**."

"UNDYNE THIS IS NOT HOW WE TREAT OUR NEW FRIENDS!" Papyrus shouted.

"I SWEAR TO GOD, PAPYRUS, IF YOU DON'T MOVE I'LL—"

At her words, Sans lead the way back into the living room, a nervous looking Frisk hooking their hand on his hoodie and a worried Asgore and Toriel following on his heels. In the living room was the sight of Papyrus struggling to stand between Flowey and Undyne, both of them screeching awful things at each other. Undyne was shouting something about how she was going to rip him right out of the pot, Flowey snarling about how she was never strong enough to keep her promises and how weak her worthless excuse of a girlfriend was.

Undyne drew a spear from the air and readied several more behind her. "She's stronger than YOU'LL ever be! You're stuck in a FUCKING POT! What do you know?!"

"U-U-Undyne, p-please!" Alphys was pleading. "L-Listen to m-m-me!"

"No one is allowed to talk about you like that!" Undyne barked. "Especially some weirdo _plant thing!"_

"She's a failure who can't do anything right!" Flowey shrieked. "Anyone knows that! She couldn't even do a simple math problem!"

Sans felt Frisk's hand began to shake from where the child was holding onto them. Their free hand went to their ear.

"Undyne—" Toriel began.

"BECAUSE YOU WERE MAKING HER NERVOUS!" Undyne roared, cutting Toriel off. "I'M GONNA FUCKING END YOU, YOU WORTHLESS—!"

Shit.

Frisk drew in a rattling breath. To Sans' bewilderment, Frisk rammed the panic that was torrenting up from their throat and walked forward. The child, dwarfed by Undyne's vexation, gave her hand a heedful pull.

The child rubbed their hand in a circle with their palm on their chest, hit the side of their hand into their other palm, extended their pointer fingers toward one another, moving them up in down in the front of their torso, and made the letter 'u' and tapped it against a flexed bicep. _'Please stop fighting, Undyne.'_

"You heard the things he said about Alphys," Undyne growled. "You expect me to just sit here and take it?"

"Undyne, that is _enough_ ," Asgore warned. He placed a hand on Undyne's shoulder but her only response was a scowl and more spears materializing.

The child turned their hand sideways so their hand was facing the left and made the letter 'b', faced their palm toward their hand and flicked it over their shoulder into a thumbs up, and made the letter 'p' with each hand, dragging them down the either side of their body. _'Be the better person.'_

"BETTER PERSON MY ASS!" Undyne yowled with a demented laugh. Frisk's hands flew over their ears and their breath became unsteady.

The yelling continued, Toriel and Asgore adding in between Alphys's begs and Undyne fighting to get at Flowey who was taunting her from behind Papyrus. Although everyone was paying attention to the fight, an odd feeling washed over Sans as if something was terribly wrong. His eyes immediately flew to Frisk who's spine was arched to make themselves seem smaller amongst all the yelling. When the child relaxed their scrunched up face, their eyes opened to reveal red irises. A laugh he had heard before in another timeline, one that had fractured and splintered into nothingness with the slash of a knife, echoed on the inside of his skull. Frisk's face drew up in a smile underneath where their hands had been placed on their face, their eyes glittering beneath the slots of widespread fingers.

What. The _fuck._

"UNDYNE, PLEASE!" Papyrus begged. His hand began to glow blue and his eye flickered in alarm. "SETTLE DOWN! WE CAN WORK THIS OUT, I KNOW WE CAN!"

Sans stumbled just as much toward Frisk in fear as he did away from the human in repulsion by what he was seeing. The child shook their head and a small noise escaped their throat. They seemed as terrified as he felt. The grin that had twisted their features fell and their eyes became a frightened brown.

"You don't know that Papyrus!" Undyne snarled, her anger getting the best of her. Fury toward Flowey propelled the next words out of her mouth. "What do you know? You weren't even able to join the Royal Guard!"

Papyrus's eye sockets widened in shock and his magic faltered. Undyne's face immediately contorted into a look of extreme shock and her spears fell to the ground and faded out of existence. Sans, who had had only eyes for the human, turned his attention to his shocked brother.

Frisk began to cry loud, body racking sobs. Toriel swept her child into her arms and held them close to her chest.

"P-Papyrus…" The room fell silent. Undyne took a step toward the skeleton. "I-I…I didn't—"

All of Sans' good humor had drained from him. His SOUL spasmed and magic flooded through his bones, a blazing heat eating away at the inside of his ribs. His eyes darkened at the look on his brother's face.

"take that back."

"S-S-Sans—" Alphys tried to reason.

"YOU…YOU REALLY THINK…" Papyrus tried, his voice uncharacteristically quiet.

"Papyrus…" Undyne began again. Her eyes glistened. Papyrus, who had gone rigid, let his shoulders slump. "I was just—"

" _take it back_."

It was Undyne's turn to tense up at the danger in Sans' voice. Although he continued to smile—he couldn't stop smiling, not while Papyrus was so heartbroken—his temper only worsened at the defeat in Papyrus's stance and tone, a look he never wanted to ever see again in his life, a sound he never wanted to hear again in his life. The shorter skeleton sneered. The only sound in the room was the frenzied buzzing of his SOUL within his cranium and Frisk's hiccuping sobs as the child fought for breath.

Undyne reached out to touch Papyrus. He shivered when she placed a timid hand on his shoulder and got out from under her touch.

"I…I HAVE ALREADY FORGIVEN YOU, UNDYNE, BUT I NEED SOME SPACE," Papyrus said, his voice still soft. "TORIEL, I…I CAN TAKE FRISK, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO STAY AND RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. I THINK I AM GOING TO HEAD TO MY ROOM."

Toriel hesitated but handed Frisk off to the skeleton when the human reached for him. Sans was torn in two by the need to escort Papyrus to his room after what he had just witnessed come out of the child and the will to defend his brother's honor.

"We…we all need to calm down," Asgore broke in. "Undyne, I think it would be best if—"

Undyne was stricken with guilt as Papyrus slumped toward his room, muttering to Frisk as he did so. Undyne hardened and shot one final glare at the plant as she took the crying Alphys' hand. Together they fled, Undyne stomping out of the house and Alphys being dragged after her.

Asgore rubbed a hand over his face. "My apologizes, Toriel, as much as I would love to stay, I must make sure they return home safe. If it is acceptable, I would like to return later to make sure Frisk is alright."

Toriel's head gave a troubled bob. She stared at Flowey, who fought to remain intransigent but only withered slightly under her gaze.

"I will try to reason with her."

With that, it was only Sans and Toriel left in the living room to pick up the shattered remains of their evening. Flowey glared at the carpet.

Sans waved his hand and a box, a pair of scissors, and a sharpie poofed beside him from his lab. He bent down and cut a horizontal slot into the front of it and then wrote something underneath that with the sharpie. He then stood back up and with a rough yank and a yip from the plant he moved Flowey into the box that was much too tall for him to see over. Closing the lid with a rough hand and a grin, Sans floated the box roughly up onto the coffee table.

"'Gay baby jail?'" Toriel read. She heaved a sigh. "Funny, but hardly appropriate."

"aw, c'mon, after what just happened i think it's pretty **humerus**."

Toriel laughed softly. Then an odd look crossed her face and the tentative smile that had begun to form fell as quickly as it had grown. "What are we going to do, Sans?"

"ah, things will settle down i s'pose."

"I am positive Undyne did not mean what she said earlier. I may have not known her as long as you and your brother have, but she certainly cares deeply about Papyrus."

Sans shifted uncomfortably. "i…guess."

"However, it does not make what she said in her time of weakness alright, so do not think I do not expect and apology from her."

Suddenly, Sans found his slippers extremely interesting. Exceedingly so.

"thanks, t," he mumbled.

Toriel leaned down and planted a kiss on his forehead that caused his theoretical heart to pound in his theoretical chest. His SOUL wobbled and magic fluttered around like butterflies in his theoretical stomach. The taller monster stood back up and grazed a paw across his shoulder and down his side until she met his hand. Giving it a squeeze, she said, "You should go check on Frisk and your brother. I am going to make sure that dinner is not burning."

"alright, tori."

She straighten her back, regained her usual poise, and strode back to the kitchen. Halfway there she stopped and turned to face him. She wrung her paws and tears threatened to spill over within her eyes. "Frisk did much better this time, did they not?"

Sans bobbed his skull. "they're…they're gettin' better, tori."

"And I have been a good mother, have I not?"

"what?" Sans asked incredulously. "of course you have! what makes you say that?"

Toriel swallowed and pulled at the sleeve of her blouse. "I…I just want them to be happy. I cannot help but feel so incredibly helpless when they…one of my other…" Toriel took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes. "It has just been some time. I did not expect it to be…I-I am going to finish dinner. Maybe you should see how Frisk is doing. Perhaps when Frisk calms down, you could take them to pick up the ice cream? I think they would like that "

"sure, t." Sans wanted to reach out to her, to hug and comfort her as she always did for him, but as he looked into her crestfallen features, he felt stupendously helpless. What else was new?

"They adore you Sans," Toriel said. "You cannot deny it."

With one last hesitant smile, Toriel turned and went back to work in the kitchen and left a blushing Sans by himself in the living space. He suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

The flower made a retching sound in the box. Magic flooded to his pupil as the other disappeared into the recesses of his eye socket. The box smacked against the couch.

"whoops," Sans apologized with a grin. "my bad."

Remembering what had occurred earlier in the living room, Sans panicked sightly and poofed into Papyrus's room. Upon landing with an uneasy pulsation of his SOUL, he was met with a peculiar sight. Papyrus was sitting on the floor with his back to the door and Frisk sitting beside him. The little child was leaning against the side of his body, their head resting against his arm. They no longer appeared to be crying although they were still shaking slightly.

Huh. His brother was freakishly good at calming people down, he reckoned.

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND. WHY WOULD SHE SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT?"

Frisk's hands moved. Papyrus watched them sign.

"I KNOW SHE WAS ANGRY BUT…NO, NO, YOU ARE RIGHT. SHE DIDN'T MEAN IT. SHE COULDN'T HAVE."

Neither of them knew he was in the room yet. Sans remained quiet, too curious to interrupt.

Instead of his brother comforting the human, the human was comforting _him._ Frisk had seen Papyrus in distress and managed to force away their anxiety enough to calm him down instead.

Sans caught small fragments of what Frisk was signing and pieced it together the best he could. From what he could tell, they were encouraging him.

"I GUESS YOU ARE RIGHT. I DO MAKE THE GREATEST SPAGHETTI! BUT WHAT IF IT IS REALLY NOT THAT GOOD? WHAT IF NOTHING I DO IS REALLY THAT GREAT? AM I NO LONGER GREAT AS WELL? AM I ONLY THE MEDIOCRE PAPYRUS, TOO FORGETTABLE, TOO UNEXCEPTIONAL, TOO MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD FOR THE ROYAL GUARD? NYEH? YOU'RE RIGHT, IT IS A BAD IDEA TO STAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. ESPECIALLY DURING RUSH HOUR!"

 _'You are the greatest person I know,'_ Frisk signed. _'And the nicest and funniest! You know how to do everything! And you always know how to make me feel better.'_

"REALLY? DO YOU REALLY MEAN IT?"

 _'Of course!'_ Sans caught Frisk's beam and his SOUL quivered. _'Plus, if you had been in the Royal Guard when we met, we couldn't have been friends! I would have been friends with you anyway. You're the coolest!'_

"NYEH HEH! HUMAN, YOU ARE TOO KIND! BUT DOES ALL OF THAT STUFF REALLY COUNT? ALL UNDYNE AND I EVER DO IS TRAIN TO BE THE GREATEST WHEN I WASN'T EVEN GREAT ENOUGH TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD."

Frisk grabbed his disheartened face and scrunched up their own. _'No bad talking.'_

"OKAY. SORRY."

 _'You are very strong, very cool, and very great! But what I love most is your heart.'_

His brother was confused. "HUMAN, I DO NOT ANATOMICALLY HAVE A HEART."

 _'You are funny. You are nice. You are kind. You are important. That's what give you heart. Isn't that what really matters?'_

"FRISK—"

 _'Even if you were never in the Royal Guard, you will always be the Greatest Papyrus to me.'_

Don't cry.

"FRISK…" Papyrus was at a loss for words. He pulled Frisk into a hug and the two held onto one another for a long time. In their silent embrace, Sans caught Frisk's soft voice.

"Y-You will a-always be my best friend."

Don't fucking cry.

"AND YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MINE."

Frisk pulled out of the hug and held out their pinky finger with a smile. Papyrus locked his pinky with theirs and together they grinned.

Sans opened the door behind him and knocked, stepping back and then forward to make it look like he was just entering.

"heya, paps, kiddo," Sans greeted.

Frisk waved and steadied their few remaining shivers at the sight of him. His cool bro leaped to his feet and struck a heroic pose.

"i'm gonna guess you two are feelin' better?"

"WE SURE ARE!"

Frisk nodded in agreement.

"that's good. heya, pap, uh, tori wanted to know if you could help her set the table. she said that no one could do it as great as you can."

Papyrus's eye sockets lit up. "THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A TRUER STATEMENT! NO ONE EXCELS IN SETTING TABLES AS WELL AS THE GREAT PAPYRUS! PLACE SETTING, AMONG OTHER KITCHEN-RELATED SKILLS, IS ONE OF MY MANY PROFICIENCIES! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Papyrus took off toward the kitchen leaving Frisk and Sans standing face to face. The little human rubbed at their temple with the heel of their hand and winced slightly with a small smile. Their pupils contracted, a ring of red growing around the outside of their irises only to vanish when their pupils dilated back to their normal size.

"are…are you okay?" Sans finally questioned outright. He could no longer contain himself to only beating around the bush. "what happened earlier?"

Frisk paled. Their hands shook. ' _What do you mean?'_

"you…there's just been some weird things going on. you know what i'm talkin' about, kiddo."

Frisk bowed their head.

Sans fought to keep the worry out of his voice. He fought to remain cool, calm, and collected. He always had to be. He had to be steady for Papyrus, for Frisk, for Toriel. "you know i'm always here to talk if ya need to. you remember that, right?"

Frisk's hand twitched. Their mouth opened and their eyes glazed into a thousand yard stare. The line of red was back. They blinked hard and it was gone just as soon as it appeared.

"kid?" Sans was genuinely concerned. "are you sure you're feelin' alright?"

He hated the shade of red that kept cropping up in their eyes. Their eyes were supposed to reminded him of the earth, they were supposed to be a hue wide with warmth and promises to churn up life from dormant seeds not that agonizing scarlet that glittered burned bright even in the darkest of corridors.

 _'I'm not ready.'_

In all honesty, he wasn't surprised by Frisk's response. He was hardly ready himself.

"when you are, or if it gets worse, i'm here, alright?"

Frisk gave him a shaky nod. There was an awkward pause.

"so…uh…heh, your mom accidentally forgot to get ice cream. she thought it would be n **ice** if i went to go grab one. want to come with? it's **snow** big deal if you don't."

The child nodded and slipped their hand into his, wrapping a few fingers tight around his phalanges.

"c'mon." He winked. "i know a shortcut."

As soon as he opened the door, they were standing in the freezer aisle of their local convince store. Frisk let go of him. They no longer had to take a few woozy steps after leaping across planes to their destination.

"how was that for a short cut?"

The human grinned and clapped their hands to show their glee. Their earlier nervousness had been replaced by the excitement of taking part in magic.

"we gotta make this quick, though, 'cuz dinner is nearly ready and your mom will have my tailbone if we're late. what flavor you want, squirt?"

Frisk opened one of the many freezer doors and grabbed a quart of vanilla ice cream. They handed it to the skeleton.

"that's a must. wanna get a fun flavor? you're payin' after all."

Frisk stuck their tongue out at him. He was glad they had slipped back into the easy way they made conversation. His SOUL gave a small thrum at the expression on the kid's face. He wanted to avoid talking about Frisk's issue for as long as he could. He didn't want to confront those spooky ass demons anytime soon.

As long as he pretended to be happy, everyone usual was as well. What was wrong with a facade that only reassured the people around him?

Instead he focused on the kid who was grazing the ice cream aisle with careful thought as if taking each member of their family and each favor available into account. He peered through the florescent lights of the freezer section and didn't focus on what was wrong with the kid, but on everything that was right. They had made Papyrus happy when he had been hurt the most and they had done a damn good job. He wasn't sure if he could compare after what he had witnessed. Was he good enough for Papyrus? No, but God could he try. As long as his brother was happy, that was all that mattered. He had made sure of that growing up, sacrificing his own needs to raise his brother the best he could. Sure, Frisk would always been Papyrus's best friend, but Sans would always be his brother. Papyrus knew that. Now he just had to focus on making sure Frisk was brought up right. It was the least he could do after everything Frisk had done for him, his brother, and the other monsters of the Underground.

 _'What should I get?'_ Frisk asked, their hands expounding upon their question.

"what do you **bean**?" Sans gestured to the tub of ice cream in his arms.

Frisk rolled their eyes with a playful scoff and picked out chocolate with a giggle.

"nothing like the classics."

They strolled to the checkout, Frisk's usual pep back. Although they settled for a passive expression, they began to sign to him about what they had done at school that day. They were explaining that they got to look in a little aquarium that was new to their classroom and that there were all kinds of little fish and coral.

With their desserts bagged and paid for, the pair headed out of the store hand in hand.

 _'Except Mrs. El says we can't play in the aquarium because we can stress the coral out and then it will die. I don't know what they get stressed about though.'_

" **current** events," Sans suggested. He laughed at his own joke and pointed a finger gun at Frisk with an "ayyyy."

But his joke didn't illicit the response he thought it would. Frisk was silent beside him and they had stopped dead in their tracks.

"ah, c'mon kid, wasn't that…?"

He felt Frisk's hand constrict around his fingers. He turned to see what the problem was only to find Frisk petrified, completely devoid of life and face paler than Napstablook. The human was staring like a small animal caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. Baffled, Sans followed the child's line of sight. They were staring at a man who had just walked out of a the store further down from where they were currently standing with a pack of cigarettes in his hand. Sans continued to study the man with dark hair, eyes in the shape and color he knew all too well, and a familiar paintbrush splatter of sienna freckles across his cheekbones.

He peeked back at Frisk who looked like the air had been vacuumed out of their lungs. Their eyes were the size of saucer plates, mouth cracked opened in a cry that was building up but wouldn't come.

In that moment Sans made the connection and he stiffened as well and began to shake uncontrollably—not out of fear, like Frisk was beginning to, but out of parlous _fury_.

"he…hehe…"

It took every ounce of willpower Sans possessed not to strike the man down on the spot. The gaze of Frisk's biological father swept over the pair, not seeming to realize they were there, and paused to light up a cigarette. He turned and continued walking, heading across the street, puffing like a chimney as he did so. He got into a dented car with a scraped up bottom and began to blare a bass track that caused Sans' bones to vibrate.

His SOUL convulsed and a jolt of magic jerked through him. He fought back the urge to grab onto his SOUL and drag him out of the windshield of his car, throw him into oncoming traffic, and then Gaster Blast the shit out of his run over remains while simultaneously hurling his body into a pile of waiting bones.

Sans grasp tightened on the human beside him and he turned, moved between planes, and immediately teleported them back home. Toriel, who was in the middle of baking, nearly dropped her the apple themed dessert at their sudden appearance.

"Sans! You frightened me!" Toriel's laugh was cut off abruptly when she saw the looks on Frisk's and San's faces. Frisk stood frozen with their teeth clenched and silent tears rolling down their pallid cheeks.

"SANS!" Papyrus scolded. He turned around from where he was organizing silverware with an apron on. "WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT DROPPING IN UNEX—BROTHER? HUMAN?"

"tori. take frisk."

"Sans?" Toriel was appalled by the ire in his voice. "What…?"

Frisk was gazing about the room as if they had never seen it before. They looked like they thought they were somewhere else. Their unfocused eyes found a place to rest on a chink in the kitchen wall from

"take frisk. i need to go."

"HUMAN? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Papyrus crouched down in front of Frisk. They didn't seem to register he was there.

Sans got ready to take a shortcut when Toriel grabbed him by the arm.

"Where are you going? Sans, what has happened?"

Sans' rage only grew. The longer he was being held up in the kitchen, the longer the savage had to escape from the store parking lot.

"let go, tori, i have to go back," Sans growled. "i have to—"

"Have to what?" Toriel demanded. "What is going on?"

Sans tried to yank himself out of Toriel's grip but she only tightened her grasp on his jacket. "he's getting away, tori, i have to—"

"Sans!"

Sans eye flashed and a burst of magic flew forth from his SOUL. The contents of the nearby pantry and cabinets exploded out of their storage, cans, pots, pans, and silverware raining down on the kitchen floor.

The loudness of the noise wasn't even enough to wake Frisk out of their stupor. The child flinched at the sound of Sans raising his voice.

"i have to go back!" Sans exclaimed. "you don't understand, he's getting away, tori, he's-he's—!"

All he could hear was Frisk screaming, begging for it to stop, wailing for help. All he could see were the marks on the child's back, the way they winced at loud noises and covered their ears when there was too much sensory information. All he could think about was Frisk clinging him to, crying for him to save him, to make the pain stop, to take them away from the horrible nightmares of memories they couldn't stop reliving.

Sans fought to catch his breath. He covered his eyes. Why wouldn't they let him do it? Why couldn't he let them do it? He had the opportunity to make it all stop, to make the man who had plagued Frisk's life with terror finally suffer the way the child had and he was powerless as usual.

Don't cry. Don't fucking cry.

With a shaky swoop of his hand he returned the contents of the kitchen back where they belonged. Toriel and his brother were staring at him with mixed emotions in their eyes. Toriel had pulled Frisk into her arms and they were holding the child's face to their chest to shield them from what had occurred.

Frisk had yet to show any signs of life outside of their petrified state.

"oh, _god_ ," Sans breathed out. He felt like he was choking. "tori…we saw him. we saw frisk's dad."

Toriel's eye widened. It was her turn to be horror-stricken.

"...What?"

"he…he came out of the store a bit down from us," Sans explained. Exasperated tears were threatening to spill over from the rim of his eye sockets. "a-and…it was him, tori. he looks just like the kid. frisk has been like this since they saw him."

Toriel's grip tightened around Frisk. They whimpered at his words and life seemed to come back to them. The struggled in Toriel's embrace, moving so they were more comfortable, and burrowed deeper into her hug. Toriel kissed their hair and rested her head on theirs.

"He is…he is in Ebott then." Toriel hardened. "I see."

"M-Mommy…d-d-don't…" Frisk's voice was tiny and muffled. Papyrus, who had been rubbing circles on their back, stopped to hear them better. "D-Don't s-s-send m-me back. P-P-Please, I…I do-don't wa-want to go."

"My child." Toriel set Frisk down and looked them in the eye. "I am _never_ sending you back there. I would rather lay down my life for the sake of keeping you here than send you back to that…that _barbarian_."

As Frisk and Toriel hugged once again, Papyrus faced his brother.

"S-SANS?"

Although he didn't want to, Sans forced himself to make eye contact. Papyrus bent down and seized the shorter of the two.

In the arms of his brother, Sans allowed himself to cry.

* * *

 **Guess who finally finished finals! THIS CHICA AYY LMAO**

 **This is the longest chapter yet holy crap. I figured you guys deserved it after having to wait so long! :)**

 **-Sav**

 **p.s. sorry for all the angst there will be fluff soon but then another healthy dose of angst**


	14. Stratagem or Indulgence?

_"_ _Frisk?"_

 _The child glanced over at the older human and cocked their head. Undyne had just ran off to Snowdin after her house had burst into flames as result of their cooking lesson. Frisk was still trying to wipe spaghetti sauce from their face and pick noodles out of their hair. Their ears were still ringing from Undyne_ _'s enthusiasm, especially after they had given the tomatoes a friendly pat instead of punching them into a pulp._

 _"_ _You, um, you were right. That was…uh…kind of fun."_

 _Chara gave the littler a tentative smile. Frisk beamed in response._

 ***What would I have done without you?**

 _They knew Frisk. They knew the child's love of people because there was a sense of strange detachment and isolation they were fighting to overcome. They knew of how Frisk's insides contracted when faced with strangers and their palms grew slick with sweat and their tongue lost it's ability to curve around the words that caught in their throat. They knew of Frisk's SOUL, a rich, deep crimson that mimicked the one they had lost, one that pulsated brighter than any surrounding darkness of the Underground like a crimson beacon, one that hummed jovially in Chara's presence and grew hot with_ _tranqui_ _l contentment when making a new friend. Each thought and feeling Frisk experienced was nearly their own._

 _They knew that when they struggled to feel, when they brawled with the shroud of numbness over their being, that Frisk_ _'s actions allowed them to feel again. Frisk gave them a sense of purpose. Frisk showed them the right way to navigate whether it be wandering through the Underground or helping someone up when they fell. They were a moth drawn to the flame of the human's SOUL._

 ***Why? Why did your fall wake me?**

 _They remembered the way Frisk beamed at them like the older of the two had hung the moon and stars themselves. Whenever Frisk spoke through whatever connection had been tied between them, whatever shared consciousness that coexisted between the two that allowed the younger to speak to them without opening their mouth or see them or when they were finally in New Home, when Chara was on the brink of breaking down from the shame and guilt and utter despair of the story that was being told, Frisk was finally able to hold their hand, to share their warmth, to wash and burn and peel away the numbness that had coated whatever made up their specter of a being._

 _Chara had finally been able to feel._

 ***Was it a coincidence?**

 _"Do you think he really would have taken my SOUL?"_

 _Frisk_ _'s voice was small and apprehensive. They had just finished scaling the extend-o-table for the human SOUL "substitute" Mettaton had challenged them to fetch._

 _"_ _Something tells me Mettaton isn't as bad as he seems. He may be a weirdo, but I don't think he really would have."_

 _Chara remembered the expression on Frisk_ _'s face when then robot had come at them with the chainsaw. Something within them hardened._

 _"_ _Besides, I wouldn't let that dumb hunk of metal take your SOUL."_

 _The next time the companions met the robot, Chara called him an oversized calculator. Frisk told them they weren_ _'t being very nice._

 ***Was it fate?**

 _"But why is being nice so important to you?" Chara asked while navigating the CORE. The human had just finished hugging and encouraging a Vulkin. "What is the point? Where has niceness ever gotten us? People still attack us!"_

 _Chara wasn_ _'t sure if they were alluding to the monsters or the real ones above the Underground._

 _"_ _Being nice is the right thing to do," Frisk explained quietly. "Because I don't want anyone to be sad or upset. I just want people to be happy. I know that me being happy is something. And their being happy is something too! If we live in a world where everyone's being mean, that everyone's going to be mean in the future!"_

 _Frisk moved the last puzzle piece into place and inspected their work._ _"It's the only thing I can do."_

 ***You were right, though. You always were.**

 _"…ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!"_

 _Chara struggled not to face palm. Instead, they fell back into their regular groove of supporting Frisk in anyway they could._

 _*Mettaton EX makes his premier!_

 _"_ _Is this guy for real?" Chara inquired as the robot struck an impossible pose. Chara glanced back at the little human only to find their eyes glowing in delight._

 _"_ _Oh boy. I guess you've got this one covered, huh?"_

 _Frisk equipped their tutu and ballerina slippers. The giant rating screen behind Mettaton jumped up a a thousand points. Dodging Mettaton_ _'s legs, Frisk twirled on the toes of one of their slippers and fell into a graceful pose, hand on their forehead and head canted back._

 _*The audience goes wild, Chara said a deadpan._ _"This is ridiculous."_

 ***You were silly, but you taught me a lot.**

 _Chara stared horrified at their father as he destroyed Frisk's MERCY option and readied his trident._

 _"_ _C-Chara…" Frisk stammered. "W-what do I do?"_

 _For once, Chara didn_ _'t have an answer. The older human only gazed at the younger in terrified despair._

 _Frisk decided to *Check him. Chara told them their father_ _'s stats. They didn't have much to say. They were extremely uncomfortable with what was about to happen._

 _A pulse of energy left the Boss Monster and fire rained down from the sky. Frisk ducked, dove, and wove in-between balls of fire that kept coming in a burning torrent, taking damage when they weren_ _'t fast enough._

 _They would have to put all of their practice to use if they wanted to have any chance of survival._

 _"_ _Chara, please!" Frisk begged. Chara looked away._

 _"_ _P-Please, K-King A-Asgore," the little human pleaded. "I d-don't want to fight. I-I-I w-won't fight you."_

 _He wavered._

 _Chara screamed as Frisk was impaled on his trident and the world went black._

 _Frisk appeared at their SAVE POINT. They gasped for breath and their hands flew to feel where they had been made into a_ _kebab_ _._

 _"_ _Frisk! Are you okay?!" Chara soared over to the human once they had reappeared as well._

 _"_ _I'm fine," Frisk promised. There were tears in their eyes. "Maybe I can convince him this time."_

 ***You taught me how to be brave. You taught me how to be strong.**

 _"Finally. I was so tired of being a flower."_

 _Chara had yet to move. They were staring at the monster with their eyes thrown wide in shock._

 _"_ _Howdy! Chara, are you there? It's me! Your best friend…ASRIEL DREEMURR."_

 _His voice changed from the sweet tone to an aged and powerful one and Asriel transformed before their very eyes. It was only their surprise to see that the flower that had been terrorizing them throughout the Underground was actually their best friend that prevented them from bursting out into hysterical laughter. All they could see was a drawing of a monster with rainbow wings and Asriel excitedly telling them what they could do._

 _"_ _He shoots rainbows and exploding stars and hyper beams from his sword and is super strong!" Asriel had explained happily. "He had the power to destroy the whole entire universe but he won't! He's way too nice to do that! And he'll protect anyone who tries to hurt you, Chara!"_

 _He was alive. Their brother, their best friend in the entire world was alive. And he was a giant freaking dork._

 _"_ _Holy shit," they uttered. "He's the Absolute GOD of Hyperdeath. His dreams came true. His dream came true!"_

 _Frisk chose to ACT._

 _"_ _You can either *Hope or *Dream!" Chara said. "Frisk, he's alive! Asriel's alive! He's okay!"_

 _"_ _He's trying to kill me!" Frisk retorted while weaving in and out of lightning bolts._

 _"_ _He doesn't mean it, h-he's not—watch out, Frisk! He's about to use 'GALACTICA BLAZING'!"_

 _"_ _Wha—"_

 _Giant stars fell from the rainbow heavens, exploding into smaller stars. Frisk managed to roll and jump over as many stars as they could, but were caught by a star in the leg._

 _Asriel puffed out his chest and charged up for his next turn._

 _Frisk decided to *Hope again._

 _"_ _And_ this _attack is called…'SHOCKER BREAKER'!" Chara told them._

 _"_ _Ch—"_

 _Chara cried out and reached to Frisk as they were obliterated. The human watched as their hand flickered, the outline of their body beginning to fade only when Frisk_ _'s body began to glow, their SOUL pulsating bright within their body._

 _*But it refused._

 _Frisk got back to their feet and flexed their hands before tightening them into fists._ _"I won't fight you!" The child exclaimed, their voice rusty from disuse. Instead of taking up arms, they chose to *Dream._

 _"_ _Chara, we have to beat him and get our friends back," Frisk said after dodging a CHOAS SABER, following Chara's directions on how to evade the slicing of his swords._

 ***You taught me how to stay determined.**

 _*Maybe, with what little strength you have left, you can SAVE someone else._

 _Together, Frisk and Chara SAVED each of their family members, Frisk begging them to come back to them, doing what they liked, making them laugh, telling them they had promises to keep, encouraging each monster that everything was going to be alright. Whether it was one by one or in pairs, Frisk avoided each attack with well rehearsed expertise._

 _"_ _That's everyone," Frisk said, fighting to catch their breath._

 _Chara only had eyes for their brother._

 _"_ _No. There's someone else."_

 _Together, hand in hand, Frisk and Chara reached out for the God of Hyperdeath and called his true name._

 ***You SAVED my brother, something that even I could not do.**

 _"Huh? What are you doing…?!"_

 _Memories rushed back to Chara and Asriel, replaying for the two of them as Frisk watched both of their eyes filled with tears._

 _Together they reached out and called his name again. Frisk outstretched their SOUL and overlapped it with Asriel_ _'s._

 _"_ _Wh…What did you do? What is this feeling…? What's happening to me? No! No! I don't need anyone!"_

 _Hundreds of colorful streams of energy launched at the tiny human. Although they weren_ _'t able to dodge all of them, Frisk refused to give up. Again they reached out with their SOUL._

 _"_ _STOP IT! Get away from me! Do you hear me?! I'll tear you apart!"_

 _His next attack was much weaker. Frisk was able to dodge each one._

 _"_ _Chara do you know why I'm doing this…? Why I keep fighting you?"_

 _Frisk peered over at Chara who_ _'s eyes watered. Frisk watched as the older human floated forward between Frisk and Asriel as aimless fire rained down from the dark skies. None of it came near Frisk._

 _"_ _Asriel…" Chara breathed._

 _"I'm_ _doing this because you're special, Chara. You're the only one who understands me. You're the only one who's fun to play with anymore."_

 _More aimless fire. Frisk began to cry themselves._

 _"_ _No. That's not just it. I...I...I'm doing this because I care about you, Chara! I care about you more than anyone else!"_

 _Chara closed their eyes and silent tears rolled down their rosy cheeks._

 _"_ _I'm not ready for this to end. I'm not ready for you to leave. I'm not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again…"_

 _When Chara reopened their eyes and something constricted tight within their being, they found themselves able to lock eyes with Asriel. For once, the monster wasn_ _'t peering through them but at them. Chara clutched the locket that sat around their neck, one that was identical to the one around Frisk's, one that matched Asriel's final form._

 _"So, please, STOP DOING THIS_ _!" Asriel wailed._ _"AND JUST LET ME WIN_ _!"_

 _Asriel_ _'s hyperbeam shot through Chara and enveloped Frisk. Frisk extended their hand as Chara found themselves drawn back to Frisk. They were one united being determined to SAVE their best friend._

 _"STOP IT! STOP IT NOW!_ _" Asriel bellowed when his attack couldn't kill the two of them. Instead, Frisk's health bar_ _dropped into the decimal mark. The farther their HP fell, the stronger the two of them became._

 _"_ _Chara_ _…"_

 _Chara_ _'s tears came faster at their name._

 _"_ _I'm so alone, Chara. I'm so afraid, Chara...Chara, I...I..."_

 ***You allowed me to finally make amends for the horrible things I had done.**

 _Asriel wiped his eyes and gave Frisk a tentative smile. "_ _I_ _'m so sorry. I always was a cry baby, wasn't I, Chara?"_

 _Chara let out a sad laugh. They almost wished they felt numb again. The pain of seeing their brother was almost too much._

 _"_ _I know. You're not actually Chara, are you? Chara's been gone for a long time."_

 _Chara fought back a sob. So their suspicions were true. They hadn_ _'t just fallen with Asriel and passed, they had been asleep for many years. And in that time, Asriel had been alone and twisted into what he once was._

 _And, because his dust spread on the flowers that had sprouted and grown as soon as they had landed, he became Flowey._

 _"_ _Um...what...what_ is _your name?"_

 _"Frisk," the human said with a teary smile._

 _"'Frisk?' That's...a nice name." Asriel beamed, his eyes glistening_ _._ _"_ _Frisk_ _…I haven't felt like this for a long time. As a flower, I was soulless. I lacked the power to love other people. However, with everyone's SOULs inside me…I not only have my own compassion back…but I can feel every other monsters' as well. They all care about each other so much."_

 _His_ _eyes lowered. The older human tried to touch their brother but their hand phased through them. They settled for holding Frisk's hand, scared that if they let go, they would fade from reality._

 _"_ _And they care about you too, Frisk."_

 _Asriel's gaze met Frisk's again. The tears that had been threatening to overflow began to fall down his cheeks, cutting tracks through his white fur. The prince wiped his face on his paws and calmed himself. Chara's breath painfully caught in their throat. "I wish I could tell you how everyone feels about you. Papyrus, Sans, Undyne, Alphys, Toriel. Monsters are weird. Even though they barely know you, it feels like they all really love you."_

 _The little monster laughed and then it trailed off. H_ _e_ _was despondent, his shoulders slumping guiltily. Chara watched as Frisk's hands trembled. If they had a physical body it would have been shaking."_ _Frisk_ _…I…I understand if you can't forgive me. I understand if you hate me. I hurt you. I hurt so many people. Friends, family, bystanders. There's no excuse for what I've done."_

 _Without a second through Frisk took a step toward Toriel's son and said, "I forgive you."_

 _"_ _Frisk…" Chara exhaled as Asriel began to speak._

 _"_ _Wh…what? Frisk, come on. You'_ _re_ _…you're gonna make me cry again. Besides, even if you do forgive me, I can't keep these SOULs inside me. The least I can do is return them. But first…there's something I have to do. Right now, I can feel everyone's heats beating as one. They're all burning with the same desire. With everyone's power…with everyone's determination…_ _it_ _'s time for monsters to finally go free. "_

 _The barrier was shattered._

 _"_ _Frisk_ _…I have to go now. Without the power of everyone's SOULs…" Asriel trailed off. His brow furrowed and his head drooped. "I can't keep maintaining this form. In a little while, I'_ _ll_ _—I'll turn back into a flower. I'll stop being 'myself.' I'll stop being able to feel love again. So, Frisk, it's best if you just forget about me, okay? Just go be with the people who love you."_

 _"_ _No!" Chara blurted. "Asriel, no, s-stay! Just for a minute longer, p-please, Azzy. P-Please…"_

 _Tears streamed down the children's_ _faces_ _as_ _, together, they ran to Asriel and threw their arms around him. Asriel rested their chin on the human's shoulder and the trio hugged each other tightly, all of the children starting to weep._

 _"_ _I_ _-_ _I,_ _" Asriel began with a sob._

 _"_ _Ha…hah…" Chara laughed in the same moment._

 _Unanimously, the siblings spoke._

 _"_ _I don't want to let go."_

 _A lightning bolt of pain struck the older human._ _"Then don't."_

 _The little monster pulled away and Frisk took a step back. Chara crossed their arm over their chest and bowed their head._

 _"_ _Asriel…I want to stay," Chara murmured. "I want to stay with Asriel."_

 _"Frisk, you'_ _re_ _…" Asriel perked up and gave Frisk a smile. "You're going to do a great job, okay? No matter what you do, everyone will be there for you, okay? Well, my time is running out. Goodbye."_

 _Asriel began to walk away. As if he remembered something, he froze in mid step and turned back around to take in Frisk one more time. "By the way, Frisk, take care of Mom and Dad for me, okay?"_

 ***I will never be able to repay you.**

 _Chara wished they could take the little human's hand. It wouldn't be long before Frisk would be able to sense the sorrow they were trying to hide within them. They had never felt this way with anyone other than Asriel. They had never been able to love another human before, had never been able to care about someone so intensely and unwaveringly like they had with their family below the Surface._

 _They had grown to love Papyrus. They had started to tolerate Sans. They had begun to like Mettaton and Alphys and Undyne. They wanted their time to be longer with Toriel, with Asgore, with Asriel._

 _But_ _…_

 _It wasn_ _'t long before Chara would have to reveal that there was warmth creeping up their extremities and how sleepy they felt. They could sense that their time with Frisk was coming to an end._

 _They didn_ _'t want to let go._

 _"_ _This is so great!" Frisk exclaimed from their core, their SOUL vibrating. "Just think! We get to live with Mom and watch the sunrise and be with our friends and—"_

 _"_ _Frisk?"_

 _Frisk_ _'s head turned and Chara almost flinched at the genuine smile they gave them. "Yeah, Chara?"_

 _"_ _I…I can't…I can't stay."_

 _"_ _Wha…What?" Frisk got to their feet and faced their companion. "Of course you can!"_

 _"_ _I…I feel funny," Chara admitted. "Warm and tired…I…I don't feel cold anymore. I finally don't feel numb, Frisk. I feel…"_

 _"_ _Because we got out of the Underground!" Frisk tried. "Maybe you should see a doctor. Maybe Alphys can help!"_

 _"_ _Remember what I told you at the beginning of our journey?" Chara asked. "Remember I told you I wasn't sure why you had awoken me?"_

 _Frisk dipped their head._

 _"_ _When…when Asriel and I first combined and passed through the barrier to…you know…I was so angry. I was so full of hate. I wanted to hurt the ones who had hurt me, to punish those who would hurt my family. I thought that if we just took the SOULs of those who had…" Chara looked away and kneaded their hands._

 _"_ _Chara," Frisk said. "You're…you're glowing!"_

 _Chara looked down at their body and let their palms face up toward the sky. Their limbs and torso were glittering softly, their nearly solid outline beginning to dissipate._

 _"_ _Ha…ha…" Chara wiped at their eyes. "It's time."_

 _"_ _Chara, please," Frisk begged, their shoulders turning inward in sorrow. "P-P-Please, just wa-wait, j-just hold on a little longer."_

 _"_ _I think I was reawakened not to guide you through the Underground, but for you to guide_ me," _Chara explained softly. "This journey we took together, it has taught me a lot. It has shown me that the world isn't as bad as I made it out to be. And I'm just…I'm just…" Chara sniffed and gave Frisk a big smile. "I'm so happy! You did it, Frisk. You freed everyone! And you didn't even need to kill anyone to do it! Despite everything…you're still_ you.

 _"_ _I think I can finally rest now."_

 _"_ _N-No!" Tears welled up in Frisk's eyes and they fought to take Chara's hand but, like before they had entered New Home, their hands slipped through one another. "You…you can't go, Chara! I s-still want to show you the p-park and t-the s-s-stars and…and…"_

 _Chara_ _'s shoulders shook and they closed their eyes. Frisk began to weep._

 _"_ _Oh, Frisk…" Chara uttered. The sparkling around their body intensified and their outline grew less and less distinct. The child reached out to Frisk with what little power they had left, trying to give the littler's SOUL the equivalent of a hug. Frisk took a shuddering breath and closed their eyes as well, reveling in the warmth wrapped around their torso._

 _"_ _I don't w-want to say goodbye, Chara. I d-don't want you to go."_

 _"_ _I'm never going to leave you, Frisk."_

 _The coil of warmth wrapped around their SOUL tightened as it grew fainter._

 _"_ _D-D-Don't forget ah-about me," Frisk cried. "P-Please don't-don't leave me, Chara."_

 _"_ _I won't ever forget you," Chara promised in a whisper. "And I will always be with you. It's you who needs to not forget about me."_

 _"_ _I-I-I won't!" Frisk laid a hand over their heart and held out a pinky finger with their other. "Not ever!"_

 _Chara laid their pinky finger over Frisk_ _'s own, holding their hand out so they hold phased through slightly._

 _"_ _Don't ever forget me," Chara breathed with the strength they had left. "Thank you for…for everything. Thank you for showing Asriel kindness. Thank you for SAVing him when I couldn't. And…take care of the locket…take care of Asriel for me. Take care of Mom and Dad for me, alright?"_

 _Frisk nodded again._

 _"_ _Be good, okay?"_

 _"_ _I-I love you, Chara!" Frisk hiccuped._

 _Chara_ _'s eyes widened and their tears flowed faster. They grinned. "I love you too, Frisk! Thank you…"_

 _With a final breathtaking glimmer Chara completely faded from sight. Frisk fell to their knees, hugging themselves in the spot their companion had just been standing in._

 _"…_ _And goodnight…"_

 ***No matter what brought us together, I am so happy I got to spend my last life with you.**

* * *

"so, uh, you booked a clown for field day, huh?"

Lisa, a fellow member of the PTA and a personal friend of Linda, made an expression akin to eating a lemon.

The two were standing on the playground at the elementary school watching the children parade about, talking, laughing, and playing with one another, the guests, and at some of the activity stations set up to help provide entertainment. Although there were several set up, the only station that had a line of kids was Undyne's and Papyrus's. The two had volunteered for the day and had rented out a giant, Halloween themed bounce house. Unfortunately, the initial entrance was too difficult for many of the children to scale so Undyne was throwing the participants into the air so they were launched over the entrance and Papyrus was catching them with his Blue Attack so they made a safe landing. Undyne was dressed as some anime princess with a giant sword that was sheathed on her back, Papyrus as his new favorite character, Skeletor.

Thankfully, the next day after the incident in the living room, the pair made up. Instead of missing his scheduled cooking lesson like Undyne thought he would, Papyrus showed up on time with his usual grin and "cool dude" appearance. He had exclaimed that he had forgiven her, of course and forever always, and that he wanted to resume being the best of pals. Undyne had pulled him into a bone-breaking hug and the two went on with their day as normal, cackling as they cooked and made a huge mess in the kitchen.

(Undyne and Flowey had yet to make amends.)

A few of Linda's PTA posse had set up stands as well, one offering gluten/sugar free snacks, another toss-across, and the third a "riveting" game of pin the top on the jack-o-lantern. There were no children at those stands. And, no one had touched any of the snacks for the children were too preoccupied with the goodie bags Sans had made (a bag decorated with skulls that contained one whoopee cushion, Halloween themed, and a concerning amount of candy).

Sans stuffed his hands in his pockets and resumed his casual smile. "well, we brought greater dog. he's…much less frightening."

Lisa crossed her arms.

"you ever hear of coulrophobia, lisa?" Sans inquired conversationally. He surveyed the playground with a careful swoop. He noticed that the kids that had previously been crying had abandoned the clown and were playing with Lesser Dog, whose neck was beginning to grow irrationally tall. Frisk was leading the kids in playing with Endogeny. The giant, frothing monster was gallivanting around the pack of dogs and children, the shadow of the dogs who made up its legs glowing happily as it let out merry, distorted barks. Doggo, who had come with Dogamy and Dogaressa, seemed to be having the time of his life. With all of the movement from both monster and human children alike, his tail seemed to be wagging at the light of speed as he played a rigorous game of fetch with a child dressed as a giraffe. The married dogs seemed confused as they were pet by a human dressed as a puppy, but were content nonetheless.

Sans caught Frisk's eye and gave a quick sign to ask if they were alright. The little skeleton gave Sans a thumbs up. Like the other children milling about the playground, Frisk was dressed in their costume of choice for trick-or-treating later that night. Although Toriel had suggested many different costumes (ranging from a bumblebee or a lion all the way to a strawberry), Frisk had been too stubborn to change their mind. At first, Toriel thought it might make Sans and Papyrus uneasy, but Papyrus was overjoyed, exclaiming that it would be like they were related and Sans was happy to comply, even taking time to paint a smile on a doctor's mask. The human was dressed in a skeleton onesie with a glow-in-the-dark skeletal anatomy pasted on the front and back. Frisk had pulled up the hood so their hair was covered and donned the mask so it looked like they were grinning at all times much like the two skeleton brothers.

 _'I like your slippers,'_ Frisk told Sans for what seemed to be the fifth time in the past hour.

Sans glanced down over his turtleneck that read _ERROR 404: COSTUME NOT FOUND_ on the front, past his black gym shorts, and down to his space themed socks and black cat slippers.

The skeleton winked. _'thanks, s-q-u-i-r-t.'_

"ya know," Sans continued, "most kids are actually scared of clowns. i can't believe you didn't even think of that. horrible."

Lisa huffed and stomped off toward Becky's game of toss-across that no one was playing and Janice's jack-o-lantern game for certain no one was playing. They appeared to be irritated. Sans could only grin.

The skeleton strolled leisurely toward where Toriel, who was dressed up as a witch, was keeping an eye on her group of kindergarten students.

"hiya, tori," he said.

"Greetings, Sans," Toriel said with a smile. "How are—"

Toriel was interrupted by one of her more curious students who had been playing nearby. "Are you _really_ a skeleton or is that a costume?!"

Sans smiled. "i'm a real, **bon** **e** -a-fide skeleton."

"Whoa…"

Toriel laughed and tried again. "How are you, Sans?"

"i'm fine," Sans replied as the interrupter skittered over to play with Dogaressa. "your class looks like they're havin' fun."

"Indeed. Is Frisk also having a nice time?"

Sans pointed over to where Frisk, who was done teaching the kids how to pet and play fetch with Endogeny, was signing to MK, who was dressed as a piece of candy corn, and Olly and Amelia, who were a duo of cowboys.

"Ah, I see. They have yet to make other friends, I am afraid. Although, nothing is wrong with a small group of close friends."

"that kid could be friends with every ankle biter on the playground if they really wanted to," Sans assured. "give 'em time, t."

Toriel sighed and nodded. Frisk, who turned their head to find their mother, gave a small wave. Toriel and Sans returned the gesture.

"What do you think the evening's activities will be like?" Toriel questioned. "For most of my students, tonight will be their first time going trick-or-treating."

The skeleton shrugged. "pap's pretty excited, though."

The past monster queen straightened out her hat. "I asked Frisk about it, but they told me they have never gone trick-or-treating either. Some of the older students said that it happens every year. So, Frisk…"

Sans caught the pained expression on Toriel's face and said, "hey, tori, you gotta stop thinking about it. you're gonna drive yourself **batty**."

Toriel smiled slightly, catching his pun about the decorations on her hat. "Sometimes the similarities between Frisk and my other child are so startling it is painful. I am not sure if they had Halloween on the Surface when…they…they did not like to talk about it."

Sans straightened up from his slouch. Toriel rarely mentioned her previous children.

"Their birthday was yesterday," Toriel uttered. "Forgive me, I have a hard time speaking about this. But around this time of year, everything builds up and is very difficult to manage. Although, I suppose that if you are uncomfortable listening, I will go back to my silent musings."

Sans wasn't sure how to answer. Toriel was always there when he needed something, so he guessed he should probably do the same. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he had had his share of meetings with her first human child. He only squeezed his hand around hers in response.

"When Frisk fell into the Underground, it was like seeing a ghost." Toriel stared straight ahead, eyes on her students as they played. "It took me several moments to realize that it was not my previous child. The time that Frisk spent with me, as little as it was initially, only continued to show the similarities between the two children. I believe that was why I fell in love with Frisk as quickly as I did. Even though they were their own person, I saw so much of my child in them it was hard to let go.

"But, when living together on the Surface and getting to know Frisk even more so, the differences began to overwhelm the similarities. Although they loved to draw much like Frisk does, and they enjoyed picking flowers, finding bugs, and using their imagination as much as Frisk does, Frisk is more open and has a much brighter outlook on the world.

"I trust you Sans. I trust you more than anyone else. Please do not mention any of this to Frisk. It would only break their heart."

The bell rung, signaling the end of the school day and the end of the field day. As students began to head out with the parents that were on the playground while others went to their lockers to gather their stuff and wait, Sans finally found his ability to talk.

"'course, t."

Frisk waved goodbye to their friends and bounded over to Papyrus and Undyne who were helping the last of the kids climb out of the giant bounce house that was beginning to deflate. Sans watched them sign excitedly to Papyrus and take his hand.

He wondered how much the kid actually knew.

Frisk's attention suddenly turned as if they had heard something. Curiously, Sans followed Frisk as they signed to Papyrus that they would be right back and headed over to where someone in Frisk's class had fallen off the swing set. The little human waved to the child dressed in some kind of light up costume and went to help them back to their feet.

"hey, t." Sans elbowed Toriel lightly in the ribs.

"One moment, Sans." The teacher was helping one of her students tie their shoes.

"the kid's talkin' to another human," the skeleton explained, hoping it would help lighten Toriel's mood.

"Really?" Toriel's downcast disposition immediately changed at his words. She started in on the other shoe.

"might even **brighten** up—" Sans began to joke with a wink and glanced back at Frisk just as he heard Papyrus's appalled shout. Frisk was on the ground, gazing up at an older kid—dressed as some kind of cheesy horror villain—who had stepped in front of the other younger child with their fists raised as if to fight the little skeleton.

"tori."

At his tone, Toriel, who had just finished tying her student's shoe and sent them scurrying off to their mother, spun to face him and follow his line of sight. She was just in time to watch the older kid raise his leg as if to kick Frisk. Sans initial shock boiled into something darker when Frisk began to scoot away from the advancing older student.

"HEY!" Undyne, who had been finishing pulling out someone who had been stuck in the nearly flat bounce house, had spotted the altercation.

All it took was for a gaggle of older kids, who were a few grades older than Frisk, to spot the fight and run over to join their fellow older friend, and to have one of them seize the front of his kid's costume for Sans to dive headfirst into a "shortcut" and poof up behind Frisk.

Undyne was barreling at breakneck speed with Papyrus on her heels and Toriel rushing after them. He only had about thirty seconds before the older kids were threatened to have spears ran through their eyes.

"hiya," Sans greeted somewhat merrily, painting on a facade of friendliness.

The human who had grabbed Frisk, some kid dressed up as ninja, nearly dropped them at Sans' sudden appearance.

"Huh? What are you supposed to be?" the kid snapped, taking in his costume.

"mr. smiley skeleton," Sans said with a grin and a shrug. "what are you supposed to be? a disappointment?"

The ninja appeared to be confused.

Sans blinked with a chuckle and reopened his eyes to reveal pitch black sockets. "you got point three seconds to drop the kid or mr. smiley skeleton isn't going to be so smiley anymore."

To prove his point (and because Undyne's rage was almost upon them), Sans let a discharge of magic pump out from his SOUL and take hold of the older kid, making him drop Frisk and stumble backwards. It wasn't enough to hurt him, but it was just enough to scare them. With a yelp, the terrorizers bolted off with their tails between their legs. But one of the braver ones gave himself just enough time to yell, "You monsters better watch it!" before pursuing his friends.

"YEAH!" Undyne yelled, mistaking their FLEEING from her approaching. She sent spears whizzing over their heads and called after them, "No one messes with MY nerd! GET LOST!"

Hopefully, a small gesture of force was enough to scare them off from bothering with Frisk again. Sans stuffed his hands into his pockets and feigned innocence, still extremely irritated and magic continuing to broil in his bones.

"My child!" Toriel was hot on Undyne's and Papyrus's heels. She scooped Frisk back up to their feet and brushed the dirt off from their costume. "Are you hurt? Did they injure you? What has happened?"

"THEY NEED SEVERAL LESSONS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF KINDNESS AND FRIENDSHIP!" Papyrus exclaimed. "THEIR APPLICATIONS OF CAMARADERIE WAS, I DARE SAY, DRASTICALLY INCORRECT."

"Do those children always pick on you, my child?" Toriel was plowing on as Undyne, Papyrus, and Toriel hovered over the child. Each monster began to tell the child at once how to deal with bullies, Toriel doting on them as she cared in her usual motherly fashion, Undyne yelling and aimlessly throwing spears in rage, and Papyrus expounding upon the importance of vigilance.

"Look, friendship isn't some competition about who can be the nicest," Undyne was describing to Frisk as she knelt down to look them in the eye beside Toriel. She grinned and then threw her head back in laughter to cackle, "if it was, they would feel terrible because you made them look stupid."

"FRIENDSHIP IS ABOUT COMPASSION! KINDNESS!" Papyrus stuck a heroic pose. "AWAKING TO A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING FROM ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND POTENTIAL COMPANIONS!"

"You just have to ignore them the best you can, my child," Toriel broke in. The monster gave the distant, retreating children the stink eye. "And not associate yourself with them, my darling. I will be talking to their parents. I know _exactly_ which students they are and who they belong to."

Frisk scuffed their feet on the ground and nodded as they listened the best they could. They wouldn't look up at their family who was spewing advice to them (and in every direction). The child's freckle splattered cheeks were stained pink in abashment from what had occurred. They looked discouraged from their family having to witness other kids picking on them.

Sans didn't want to frown while Frisk was so disheartened. Did them getting picked on while at school happen often?

"Come, my child." Toriel started to head back to the school, Papyrus and Undyne following close behind. "Let us go home and get ready to celebrate the holiday accordingly."

Although he was still pretty peeved about what had happened, one look at Frisk was enough to cause a dip in the skeleton's theoretical blood pressure.

"Thanks, Sans," the child mumbled, barely loud enough to be heard as they made the motions of a tentative sign.

"'course, kiddo." Sans ruffled their hair and offered the little human his hand. "they don't, heheh…uh, do that all the time, do they?"

Frisk's lack of a response was an answer within itself. Sans squeezed their hand a little tighter and an annoyed pulse of magic left his SOUL. He hoped that he had scared them off enough they wouldn't be bothering Frisk anymore. Then again, he had only taken the day off. He couldn't be at the school to defend Frisk all the time.

"they really **rattled my bones**."

Frisk slipped their hand into his and cracked a small smile on their previously downturned lips.

"you could say they were even getting on my… **last nerve**."

The child's smile grew more and their nose made a noise of quiet laughter.

"c'mon, kid, you got all the candy within a mile radius to stuff in your bag tonight. we better get a head start before the neighbors run out."

Frisk dipped their hand and signed in response.

"ok, even if they begin later that doesn't mean…"  
(Little did he realize, the lingering kind words of their family and his caretaking caused Frisk's SOUL to swell. The child was filled with determination.)

* * *

Undyne let out a holler and ran around in a circle with her arms thrown up high. Papyrus, on the other hand, became serious.

"UNDYNE, THIS IS NO JOKING MATTER. ARE WE GOING TO TRICK OR WILL WE TREAT? I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM NO SLIPPERY SNAIL. SO I WILL NOT BE PERFORMING ANY ACTS OF DECEPTION AND/OR TRICKERY TONIGHT."

"not sure it works like that, bro."

"QUIET SANS! YOU ARE NOT PARTICIPATING! YOU ARE FAR TO LAZY TO TRICK OR TREAT. UNLESS PRANKING COUNTS AS TRICKING. THEN FOR SOME REASON YOU ALWAYS SEEM TO FIND ENERGY. LOOK AT YOU! YOUR COSTUME CONSISTS OF SOME FESTIVE SLIPPERS AND SOME WORDS ON A SHIRT!"

"heheheheh you got a point there, pap."

There was a crash. In her enthusiasm, Undyne had broken something over her head.

"U-Undyne! Please!"

"WHOOOO!"

"NYEH…HEH…HEH…ALRIGHT SO IN THE MEAN TIME, ALPHYS, HOW WILL YOU BE PARTICIPATING TONIGHT?!"

"Ah…uh-um, just treating for me, Papyrus."

"TREATING IT IS!" Papyrus marked her choice down on his clipboard. "AND YOU, YOUR MAJESTY? YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO JOIN US IN ON THE TREATING!" He winced as there was another crash. "REMIND ME TO CONFISCATE ANY CANDY UNDYNE'S COLLECTS TONIGHT."

"Oh!" A small chuckle. "Thank you for your kind offer, but I think I will just be watching tonight, Papyrus."

"EXCELLENT! YOU CAN HELP US STAY ON SCHEDULE! WHAT ABOUT YOU, FLOWEY?"

"I think tricking will do."

Frisk's stern look wiped the warped smile off of the flower's face. Flowey grumbled something under his breath.

"MK! HUMAN! WILL YOU BE TRICKING OR TREATING?"

The little human, still garbed in their skeleton get-up, pointed to their bag that was covered in candy and gave it a small wave. MK, who was still dressed as a piece of candy corn, bounce up and down with a cheer of agreement.

"THEN EVERYONE IS ACCOUNTED FOR!" Papyrus shoved his clipboard back into his inventory and clapped his hands together. "EXCEPT FOR UNDYNE, BUT SHE WILL MOST LIKELY BE TREATING. SHE IS TOO STRAIGHT FORWARD FOR TRICKERY."

The skeleton pulled his hood back up with a "NYEH HEH!" and grabbed the handle of the wagon that Flowey was currently sitting in. His pot was covered in Halloween stickers. Although he appeared to be grumpy as usual, he had allowed Frisk to color his pot like a jack-o-lantern.

"SHALL WE BE OFF?"

After Frisk and their family had arrived home from the elementary school and Alphys had gotten out of work and into her costume (Mew Mew Kissy Cutie, of course) everyone had gathered and prepared to head out for what would be a night of fun. Even though Undyne was upset at first that Flowey was coming along, to Frisk's surprise the flower and the fish monster made amends and the flowey had _actually_ coughed out a rough apology. The child's chest had puffed out with pride at that. Perhaps they were a good influence on their friend after all. And, because MK's parent's had a store to run, MK was tagging along with Frisk for the children's (and monsters) first time trick-or-treating. Frisk drummed their feet on the ground and rocked back and forth. Joy buzzed around in their belly and they shivered in anticipation for what was about to come. Toriel gave their back a pat as Frisk's behavior encouraged a fresh bout of enthusiasm to emerge from the monster.

"BOY, I WISH METTATON AND NAPSTABLOOK WEREN'T STILL ON TOUR!" Papyrus exclaimed as he waded through the sea of children. "NAPSTABLOOK WOULD BLEND RIGHT IN WITH SOME OF THESE COSTUMES!"

"Yo! Frisk, this is going to be so cool!"

 _'I'm so excited!'_ Frisk signed as they followed Papyrus's lead. _'I hope we get a lot of candy!'_

"Ha ha yeah! I can give you my extra chocolate bars too, if you want. I know you've been saving them!"

The group approached the first house as the sun gradually began to sink toward the western horizon. Children of all ages milled about in the neighborhood, bounding from house to house, each abode ranging in its display and level of decorations. Some houses only had carved pumpkins sitting out front while others were decked out, adorned in orange string lights, bats, cobwebs, and ghosts galore. Papyrus and Undyne spotted the most festive house and decided to go their first, Alphys and MK racing after them.

An uneasy feeling suddenly sank into Frisk's stomach. Although they had done their best to watch Halloween movies to see how trick-or-treating was done, they were afraid they were going to mess up. What if the people who handed out candy laughed at them? What if they didn't like their costume? Why was everyone so loud? What if they could only get candy if they asked? What if they didn't know sign language? What if they would have to speak? What if—

"My child, are you not going to follow your friends?"

Their mother must have noticed their apprehension. Or the fact they had yet to move and were rooted to the ground.

"maybe they're **spooked**."

"Sans!" Their mom let out a bleat of laughter. She hadn't laughed that hard since she had told everyone to **boo** kle their seat belts earlier in the car.

Frisk heard Sans mutter something to Toriel and then an arm was thrown over their shoulder. "c'mon, kiddo, i'll take ya into you get into the groove of things. there's nothing to be nervous about. it's just a bunch of boys and **ghouls** dressed up in scary costumes, running round like wild animals."

Frisk's hand shook slightly as they moved it. _'Not helping.'_

The little human trembled when Sans helped them up porch steps to a house where a woman dressed as a scarecrow was handing out candy. Although she stared at the two of them (most people did, humans still weren't use to the sight of animated skeletons when it came to Papyrus and Sans), she took one look at Frisk, who's butterflies had turned to lead and legs into marshmallows, and held out her candy bowl with a kind smile.

"trick-or-treat," Sans said with a grin. He gave Frisk a gentle shove, allowing them to step forward to receive their candy.

"Happy Halloween!" the woman greeted. They watched as she stuck her hand into the bowl and held out a few pieces of candy to the little skeleton. They held out her bag for her and attempted to give her a smile, no matter how unsure it probably seemed.

Frisk's hand made a motion as if they were blowing the scarecrow a kiss.

"they say 'thanks.'"

"Oh!" The woman's smile grew and her cheeks flushed pink. She gave them a wave goodbye, not daring to open her mouth again when she believed Frisk could not hear her.

Holding hands with Sans sufficed as the pair of skeletons got off the porch and walked back toward Frisk's waiting mom. A sense of relief washed over the child and for whatever reason their eyes watered slightly. They threw their arms around Sans in a hug to show their gratitude for helping them.

Frisk pulled out of the hug. _'Thanks, Dad.'_

The child turned as Sans made a noise as if he was being strangled. They pivoted to face him curiously as Toriel gasped and began to giggle.

 _'What?'_ It was Sans' turn to be rooted to the ground.

The skeleton's cheekbones were stained blue. He sounded embarrassed when he found his voice. "you…uh, heheh, you, uh…you called me 'dad.'"

They froze as well when they realized what had escaped from them. Their eyes widened in apprehension and what had been butterflies turned lead transformed into fear. Frisk began to sign that they were sorry, scared that Sans would be angry about their mistake, but instead he gave their head a reassuring pat. Frisk thought that if they didn't have their hood up he would have ruffled their hair like he always did. Toriel was only beaming at the pair of them as if she was witnessing something beautiful.

"it's alright," Sans chuckled. "i, heh, uh, i don't mind."

If even possible, Frisk's eyes strained to dilate even more.

"really." His smile seemed genuine. Besides being flustered, he looked… _happy_. "i don't mind at all. you can call me whatever you want, frisk."

Frisk was unsure as they signed. ' _Really?'_

"yah." The blush on his cheekbones begun to fade only to be replaced by his growing smile. "really really. whatever makes you happy, kiddo."

Frisk's butterflies turned lead turned fear blossomed into a warm sensation in the pit of their stomach and spread up their torso and to the child's extremities. They gave Sans the biggest, most sincere grin they could manage and grabbed his hand, hoping to maybe spread the heat that was radiating inside of their ribs to his phalanges and up his arm.

Frisk glance at their mom as if looking for permission. Did Toriel have tears in her eyes?

"Dad," they whispered as they signed again, liking the way the movement felt on their hand, how the word rolled off their tongue, and how light and free and heartfelt it was to apply it to Sans.

Frisk peeked back at their mom to gauge her reaction. She seemed unbelievably happy, maybe even as happy as Frisk felt. They had never had a dad before—well, besides Asgore. But with Asgore it wasn't forced, but it just seemed like the right thing to call him. With his fluffy, soft edges, deep voice that resounded hope and peace into their being, and careful mannerisms and all around dad-like tendencies. With Sans, it not only felt right, but it felt _natural_. It felt like a commonplace term that should have been expressed to him earlier, a word that, for whatever reason, carried so much power that Frisk had been afraid to utter it. They knew Asgore wouldn't refuse and would like being referred to as the child's dad. The ex-monster king had so much loss and sadness in his life that Frisk felt like it was their duty to act as his child, to be the one thing that couldn't be stolen away from him by anyone else or even himself. But with Sans…it had been a whole different story.

They had distant recollections about what things that went bump in the night could be. They knew the power behind repressed, distorted feelings expressed through a blade. They knew why when they had first emerged from the Underground and lived with him and his brother, why Sans had a hard time meeting their eye. They knew that there was something out there that entered your body, that coiled down your throat like rogue plumes of smoke, and set your insides ablaze until consciousness was a distant memory.

The couldn't remember much, but they knew. They knew what muffled noises in the dark meant and what shaking hands pulling the child up into a bed for comfort when the other should be receiving, not giving.

But Sans knew this all and looked past it. He knew that whatever had happened in those timelines where everything went horribly wrong was completely and utterly out of their control. He was able to identify the difference between Frisk and the…Other.

The Companion, Chara, their Chara, knew this as well. They had tried to protect them but had failed as often as they managed to succeed.

The Friend, their protector, the one who they had wanted to but felt off to refer to as a father, knew that when time and fate aligned, wonderful things could happen. But so could ugly, dastardly, heinous things.

All these thoughts spiraled to the front of Frisk's mind only to have the child fight to whisk them away. They could tell Sans anything and his acceptance of the term "dad" only affirmed that. But the child didn't want to. Not when they were in such good, ah, **spirits**.

That was a bad one. Sans was rubbing off on them.

"Yo! Frisk!"

The little child dressed after their paternal figure spun to see MK skipping toward them with Papyrus hot on their trail.

"MAKE HASTE, HUMAN! WE HAVE FAR TOO MANY HOUSES TO CONCUR AND CANDY BOWLS TO POLITELY ASK ONLY TO RECEIVE AND SNATCH! POLITELY!"

Papyrus and MK gestured to the wagon, MK springing into the front and motioning with their trial for Frisk to take Flowey at the back. The flower only rolled his eyes.

Frisk's stare flitted to their mom and dad who were holding hands.

"Do not worry, my child. We will catch up," Toriel said.

"got it, kiddo?"

Frisk nodded and climbed up into the wagon. They hugged Flowey and their candy bag to their chest and gave their parents an exuberant sign.

"LET US RIDE!" Papyrus crowed.

Frisk wrapped their arms around MK and Flowey and, with a grin, held on tight.

* * *

Trick-or-treating had been a success. Although there were only a few tricks (some older kids in masks jumped out and scared the living day lights out of Frisk, MK, and Alphys, resulting in a stern lecture from Papyrus and cold glares from Toriel as Undyne whipped spears over the retreating figures), the abundance of treats made up for it. By the last hour, even though MK had to be home, both the children's candy bags (and family members' bags as well) were almost completely full. It had been a good haul and when Frisk stopped dwelling on the way everyone was looking at them whether it was why Flowey scolded Papyrus in a sickly-sweet voice and threatening to blast him with "friendliness pellets" (Papyrus had been all for it) or when people stared and whispered about the overly-friendly-but-still-sorta-dangerous way she interacted with Frisk and MK ("Good job, punks! I guess all that training with Papyrus and I did pay off. Guess you guys don't have to visit the trashcan tonight! Fuhuhuhu! What? SHUT UP! I will talk to my human however I want!"), they were able to overcome their initial fear and decide to only focus on having fun.

After many hugs and hair ruffles, Frisk departed with Papyrus to head toward Asgore's house where they would be spending the weekend. Toriel and Asgore had agreed that around the last hour or so, Frisk would be able to help Asgore hand out candy at his house in the primarily monster neighborhood where he lived. As the two skeletons strode under the street lights hand in hand, Papyrus did most of the talking and Frisk most of the listening. It wasn't out of the ordinary, Papyrus usually had a lot to say and Frisk didn't normally have a lot to say unless something exciting was happening. The child was probably the world's best listener anyway.

"I CANNOT BELIEVE THE NIGHT IS ALREADY ALMOST OVER! WE HAD SO MUCH FUN, DIDN'T WE? DO YOU THINK EVERYONE LIKED MY COSTUME?"

Frisk nodded with a small hum.

"NYEH HEH! OF COURSE THEY DID! WHEN YOU ARE AS GREAT AS I AM, ONE CANNOT DISLIKE ANYTHING ABOUT SOMEONE SO GREAT!"

Frisk supposed that was true. They wondered whether or not if they were as great as Papyrus if kids would still pick on them in school.

 _"You only live with them because humans hate you."_

 _"_ _Haha! They're even dressed like one! They must think they're a human too! Ha!"_

 _"_ _I bet the demon spawn lives with monsters because not only do humans hate them, but no one else wanted them. How could anyone want a monster lover?"_

 _"_ _Freak!"_

 _"_ _Maybe if you cry loud enough your real parents will hear you."_

Frisk shook their head in order to thrust the words of their peers from earlier into the back of their thoughts. They had had a good night. They had gotten to play all day with all their friends, got to pet Lesser Dog until he made revving noises, whistled like a kettle, and his neck reset, they were able to try out the bounce house and play fetch with Endogeny and Greater Dog. Amelia had invited Frisk and MK over for a big sleep over sometime in the upcoming week or maybe the next. Even though they had accidentally called Sans their dad, he had been more than happy to accept the title. Papyrus had helped them and MK climb up steep porch steps and helped them ride down railings and did all the talking at doors where buckets of candy waited, calling their name. They were walking to Asgore's with Papyrus, they had just gone trick-or-treating for the first time ever because no one had ever taken them before, and they were going to taste test butterscotch cinnamon pies Asgore couldn't get right and drink golden flower tea. Maybe if they were lucky, they could watch _Hocus Pocus_. Even though the witches were silly, sometimes they were scary. They knew that they could cuddle up to Asgore and he would protect them.

"PERHAPS I WILL STOP OVER TOMORROW FOR TEA!" Papyrus mused. "IT HAS BEEN SOME TIME SINCE I HAVE HAD A PROPER VISIT WITH THE KING!"

Frisk began to remind Papyrus that Asgore wasn't the king anymore with their free hand when screams split the tranquility of the night in two. Both Frisk and Papyrus jumped at the sound, the few shrieks multiplying. There was the distant sound of shattering glass and the pungent odor of smoke.

"H-H-HELP!"

Papyrus and Frisk spun toward the yell. The source of the cry was Vulkin, the little monster running toward the duo with it's rump wriggling.

"NYEH? THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS HEARD A CALL FOR HELP!"

"Ahhh! AHHH!" Little streams of lava were coming from Vulkin's eyes. Feverish plumes of smoke were shooting from the top of the volcano monster. "Help! Was trying the hardest to help! Not enough! Ahhh!"

"Wrong?" Frisk inquired, shocked into speaking by the panic in Vulkin's voice.

"FEAR NOT, VULKIN! FOR I AM AS GENEROUS AS I AM GREAT AND WILL AID WHOEVER IS IN NEED! WHAT AILS YOU?"

"Humans!" Vulkin exclaimed. "Humans come with magmas! Not healing magmas! Humans attacking monsters! Need help from ambassador! Help! Please!"

"H-HUMANS?" Papyrus was taken aback. "HUMANS ARE ATTACKING MONSTERS? THAT CAN'T BE TRUE!"

Frisk tugged on Papyrus's sleeve of his outfit frantically, gesturing for them to follow Vulkin. The two began to run as the volcano monster raced off in the direction Papyrus and Frisk had originally been heading. An awful feeling sunk down into the pit of the child's stomach.

As they approached the mainly monster neighborhood Asgore resided in, the once distant screams grew much louder. When they arrived at the scene, Frisk couldn't believe their eyes. Monsters were running about, yelling and crying, while humans (dressed in all black so only the slit of their eyes could be seen beneath odd hockey masks with only holes for eyes) had covered the block. Some held gallons of gasoline and lighters, others billy clubs, bats, and other various blunt instruments. They were dragging monsters out of their homes and onto the road, beating their HP down before turning to their residences, smashing in their windows and doors, and even lighting a few ablaze. Others were spraying graffiti on garage doors and homes. Petrifying fear struck the child and Papyrus immediately stopped dead in his tracks, unable to say anything about what was occurring. He watched the chaos with a horrified look on his face, eyes wide and jaw descended in stupefaction.

"It's the ambassador!"

"Frisk!"

"It's Frisk Dreemurr!"

"Help us!"

"Save us!"

A few of the monsters who had spotted Papyrus and Frisk were calling out to the small child, voices strained and tears streaming down their faces. A sudden surge of determination filled the child and they released Papyrus's sleeve and took off to make some attempt to stop what was happening.

"NO! FRISK! WAIT UP!" Papyrus bolted after the child, stopping to help pick up the fallen Diamond Boys.

Frisk wasn't sure what they could do, but they were determined to try something. One of the people in black were thrashing Loren about on the concrete, the tiny monster yelling and huddling next a young girl with a clam head and Final Froggit who was attempting to protect them. Frisk grabbed the person's arm and tugged as hard as they could. The person, unnerved that a human was protecting a monster, ran off to add to the mayhem somewhere else.

Final Froggit gave a distraught croak. Frisk pulled a few pieces of monster candy from their inventory and handed some to the clam girl to distribute between the three of them. They took the candy, regaining some HP, and Loren told Frisk to help the others, that they would be alright for now, that they couldn't thank them enough.

Frisk nodded as another burst of adrenaline crashed through their body. Papyrus was back by their side with a hand on their back, the terrified skeleton following close to the child as the two of them tried to guide monsters away from the terrorizers and distribute whatever food and first aid they had in their inventories.

Just as Frisk and Papyrus were about to help a monster couple out of their home and to safety, Frisk heard a familiar squeal. The child pivoted only to see Shyren cornered by the masked strangers. Their heart pounded as the little human turned in mid step and dove in front of Shyren to try to stop the descending blow—

The side of Frisk's face felt like it had erupted into flame as the person's fist smacked down in their cheek, knuckles digging deep into their flesh. Frisk fell to the ground with 6 HP sliced off their health bar. Their hood flopped off. Shyren chose to FLEE, taking their chance to escape now that the human in black was distracted.

 _"You!"_ a man in black growled, reaching for the child.

At the sound of his voice, the little human froze. They found themselves unable to move as they stared up into startlingly familiar eyes. Flashbacks spiraled across their vision, dark rooms with bolted exits, unrelenting fists, and cigarette smoke that wound down their throat as fire erupted on their back threatened to cause them to pass out there and then. Frisk and their father looked at once another, finally seeing each other for the first time since the child had been abandoned on a park bench.

 ***Run.**

As the man's hand descended, Frisk chose MERCY and attempted to run. The little human squirmed out of his grasp only to be shoved to the ground. 4 HP was shaved off of their health bar as their nose grew hot and began to run. They screamed out some jumbled mess, fighting between calling for Papyrus and not wanting him to be near Crook. Once again they chose MERCY and to FLEE. They tried to get up but the man kicked them down, his foot coming down to rub their face into the sidewalk. Their palms were scraped raw as they wiggled and fought to get up off of their bad cheek that was now even more cut up. They were already down to 7 HP.

 ***Fight back!**

Frisk's heart hammered in their chest and pounded painfully against the front of their skull. The little human struggled for breath. The child was having trouble sucking air down into their lungs and even more trouble seeing through the horrified tears that were pouring down their face and blurring their vision. They clawed at the grass in someone's yard and dug their fingers into the dirt. The kicked out blindly against the force that kept pulling them away, against the force that was attempting to yank them down a fenced alleyway between houses and off into the night. Frisk screamed louder and shrieked Papyrus's name. They grabbed onto the fence as a fist crushed their ankle in it's grip. It was when a hand seized their hood and they were suddenly lifted off their feet that the child could only dangle and yelp.

 ***Frisk, fight** _ **back!**_

"You!" he cried again, shaking them. "I've been looking for you _far_ too long, you little—"

"FRISK!"

Leaping over a pile of someone's belongings that had been thrown out into the street through a window, Papyrus sprinted through the blaze and toward where Crook was trying to drag off his biological child.

"HEY! THAT IS MY HUMAN!" the skeleton declared. "I MUST DEMAND THAT YOU PUT MY HUMAN DOWN! IT IS NOT NICE TO LIFT OTHERS UP WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION!"

" _Your_ human?!" the man sputtered. "No fucking way! This one's mine! Fuck off or you're gonna end up like the rest of 'em!"

Papyrus was appalled. "FRISK IS MUCH TO SMALL TO HEAR SUCH PROFANITY! NEXT TIME, IF YOU CANNOT HAVE SOME SELF CONTROL, HAVE THEM COVER THEIR EARS!"

Frisk kicked their legs and struggled in their father's grip. They turned to face Papyrus, blood running into their mouth and the side of their face feeling as if it was on fire. The skeleton gasped at the sight of them and exclaimed the child's name over a small crowd of screaming monsters being chased by two humans brandishing bats were running behind Papyrus.

"PLEASE! LEAVE THEM ALONE! YOU ARE HURTING THEM! YOU ARE HURTING MY HUMAN! WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOU?"

"Call 'em your human one more time! I dare you, you fuckin' ground dweller!"

"HAVE YOU BEEN TAKING LESSONS FROM UNDYNE?"

The man ignored him. His bloodied hand tightened into a fist around his weapon.

"I AM NOT GOING TO ASK YOU AGAIN! YOU WILL FORCE THE GREAT PAPYRUS INTO A SITUATION HE WOULD RATHER NOT BE IN!"

"I said fuck off! I've been looking for this rat too long to let you get in the way!"

"Pa-PAP—!"

"Shut up! Did I give you permission to speak you little—"

Just as the man was swinging up to sock Frisk in the stomach, Papyrus outstretched his hand, gritted his jaw, and grabbed onto the man's SOUL. He lifted him up in the air and Frisk fell to the ground and out of reach. He then used another hand to make a wall of bone between the remaining monsters who had yet to FLEE and the humans.

"I WON'T LET YOU HURT FRISK!" Papyrus yelled. "AND I WILL NOT LET YOU HURT MY FELLOW MONSTERS! BUT I WILL NOT HURT YOU EITHER. WHAT YOU AND THE OTHER _WEIRDOS_ ARE DOING IS WRONG! HOWEVER, I BELIEVE YOU CAN DO THE RIGHT THING! YOU JUST HAVE TO TRY!"

The male Papyrus was hovering in the air swung his billy club around violently and yelled profanities at the skeleton.

"I REALLY DO NOT APPRECIATE YOUR CHOICE OF WORDS." Papyrus sighed. He waved his other hand and the crowd of humans stumbled back away from the wall of bone they were bashing their weapons against. "YOU ARE MAKING THIS EXTREMELY COMPLICATED."

"P-PA—" Frisk began as another man in black snuck up behind the skeleton. The child's blood ran cold. He had equipped a steel bat and was swinging high, weapon ready to clobber the skeleton's skull—

 _CLANG!_

The sound resounded small the neighborhood, rippling though the humans and monsters running about, and striking them with fear or filling them with hope. A scarlet trident had blocked the blow, pushing back against the metal and sending the man flying off of his feet.

There stood Asgore, cape billowing and armor reflecting the surrounding fire so it appeared he was a deity crafted out of a conflagration.

Although they should have been flooded with a fresh wave of life at the sight of the monster king restored to all his former glory, Frisk could feel nothing but dread. All the child could feel was the agony of a trident impaling through their gut, the heat of their skin bubbling up in blisters and charring, the overwhelming trepidation that the monster they loved was once again a king with morals twisted by his peoples' aspirations.

 ***You are alright, Frisk! Get out of there!**

The child's hands began to shake and it felt like their heart was vibrating, skipping beat after beat, relentlessly keeping them alive but on the edge of death at the same time. They didn't want to die. It was all their fault. They weren't allowed to speak. They didn't want to die. They didn't want to die.

Asgore looked to the child with agony in his eyes and his hardened expression softened at the fright on Frisk's face but he was cut off by other terrorists in black rushing forth in attempts to incapacitate the boss monster so they could continue vandalizing the neighborhood.

"FRISK! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Papyrus crouched down beside Frisk and all the child could see was his head rolling off his shoulders into the snow. The child wailed as some of the men advanced on Papyrus and he was forced on the defense, drawing up walls of bones and flinging out his blue attack so he could lift the men off their feet.

"YOU ARE MAKING DIPLOMACY EXCEPTIONALLY DIFFICULT!"

All Frisk could hear were the distressed shrieks of monsters running for cover. All the child could hear was the shattering of glass, the eruption of houses burst into flames, couches and chairs and plates and more being thrown out windows onto the sidewalk, the pound of blood in their ears as their heart hammered their rib cage and their lungs struggled for air. All Frisk could hear was monster children crying for their parents—

Their parents.

Frisk reached into their inventory. They nearly dropped the phone several times as they dialed their mother's number and held the cell to their ear and prepared themselves to call for help…

But no one answered.

Frisk placed a hand on their neck and took a deep breath, trying to ground themselves, trying not to die, trying not convince themselves that they were real, that they existed, that this wasn't a bad dream they could wake up from.

They dialed Sans' number and held the phone to their ear. The world was spinning.

 _"hiya, kid, wha—"_

"Sans!" Frisk wept. "H-H-Help!"

 _"frisk?!"_

Frisk cried harder than before at the sound of his voice.

 _"_ _where are you? what's wrong? where's pap?"_

The little human sucked in a gulp of air.

 _"kid, you've gotta talk to me."_ Sans sounded scared and angry. _"where are you?"_

"B-B-By A-Asgore's h-h-ho—"

There was a loud crash and Frisk's hands shot over their ears. The little human let out a wail, falling to their knees, dropping the phone, and dissolving into body wracking sobs. They wrapped their arms around themselves and called for help, crying for their mother, for Undyne, for Mettaton, for Papyrus, for—

"frisk!"

They felt a bony hand on their shoulder as the ground rocked and the sky fell. A pair of hands lifted up from under the human's arm pits. Frisk clung onto Sans, locking their legs on his torso and twisting their hands up in his shirt.

"deep breaths, frisk, you gotta promise me something, kid, can you do that?"

Frisk managed a nod. They could barely hear his voice over their own heartbeat.

"no matter what, don't look. put your face in my shirt and don't look."

The scared child did as they were told, pressing their face into his clavicle as Sans adjusted the child and wrapped his arm tighter around them.

There was a familiar thrum and growl as something materialized in mid air. Don't look. A buzzing blast that made the ground rock. Don't look.

Someone screaming. Human screams. Don't look. They were leaving. Don't look.

Sans congratulating Papyrus on being strong. Don't look.

The whiz of Asgore's trident slicing through the air. Don't look.

Breathe. Don't look. They couldn't breathe. Don't look, don't look, don't look.

Frisk hoped they would never have to make that promise again.

(But they would.)

* * *

 **knowing you guys you're probably like "what the hap is fuckening" by the end of this chapter lmao**

 **here's 22 pages or 11,915 words of my blood, sweat, tears, and detemmination**

 **AHHHHHH! I can't apologize enough for how ungodly long this took. I was supposed to have this out Wednesday but work got in the way (never get a job, kids working 40 hrs a week sucks) and before that it was supposed to be out like two weeks ago but writer's block is a bitch.**

 **ANYWHOOOOO**

 **Thank you all for sticking with me even though the update schedule has been sorta sporadic. I'm trying to find some sort of happy medium between working, friends, family, and time with the bf. The next update should come much sooner!**

 **A big happy birthday S/O to RudeAntalope661! I hope your birthday was great and sorry I couldn't get this out quick enough for you. Maybe not as angsty as you liked but some high grade a angst is acomin' my dude there are not breaks on this train.**

 **sorry if you're all a bit confused i promise more will be explained in the next chapter! hopefully some lil seeds i planted are starting to grow a bit in ur big n beautiful brains**

 **THANKSY! Have a FABU-FUL day!**

 **-Sav**


	15. Glue

Sans wrapped a careful arm around Frisk and pulled the child closer to his side. The human, dwarfed by fear and their injuries, latched onto his shirt with both hands.

"Hello," the woman greeted, her voice warm. "I'm Sergeant Williams. You're Frisk, right?"

Sans watched as Frisk removed their face from where they had pressed it into his torso and cautiously peeked around his ribs. They gave her a tiny nod.

Sgt. Williams squatted down so she was eye level with the child. Sans resisted the overwhelming urge to pull Frisk out of sight and step back into a shortcut. The police gave him the heebie-jeebies, especially because of the odd lack of sympathy when monsters came in for help. It seemed as if they all shuffled some papers and their cases would be lost. There was no possible way they could cover up a raid of the size it had been.

To Sans' astonishment, Sgt. Williams raised her hands.

 _'I really like your costume,'_ she signed.

The fright in Frisk's eyes began to clear when they realized they would not have to speak aloud. Although they were still uncomfortable, they responded.

 _'The bones glow in the dark.'_

 _'_ _Super awesome!'_

Frisk gave her a shy smile, the blood caked on their mouth and cheeks splitting as their facial muscles stretched. _'Thank you.'_

 _'_ _I almost thought you were a skeleton like your father when I first saw you. It's very cool.'_

Sans struggled to hide the flood of magic that crept across his cheekbones.

 _'F-r-i-s-k, if it's alright, me and another officer are going to ask you about what happened tonight.'_

Frisk dipped their head and gave Sans' sleeve a slight tug.

 _'But, because your dad was there, we have to ask him some questions about the night away from you.'_

The child's grip tightened.

 _'We will wait for your mother to get here. Can I take you to sit with me for now?'_

Sans peered down at the human. They seemed unsure.

 _'Can…can I bring E-l-l-i-e?'_ Frisk reached into their inventory and pulled out their stuffed elephant Alphys had gotten them. Sans felt his SOUL constrict.

 _'Of course.'_ Sgt. Williams held out their hand if offering. Frisk's arm shook a bit as they reached out and placed their hand in hers. Sgt. Williams gave Frisk's hand a squeeze.

"Sir," Sgt. Williams began, "Once Frisk's mother arrives, we will start asking them about what happened so we can get them home as soon as possible."

"thanks."

They began to walk away when Frisk stopped and looked back at him. They were wearing some kind of indescribable expression. They seemed to be checking to make sure they still had permission to go. Sans searched their face, taking in the bruises that smeared color over their features, where road rash had been rubbed into their cheek, where dried gore trailed down from their nose and to their mouth where it dribbled over their previously split lip and chin, where dirt and grass stained covered their bloodied palms.

Sans wanted to desperately give them some kind of reassuring smile or remark, to remind them that everything was alright and they were going to be okay. That he would be here waiting for them, waiting for his turn, waiting to make sure that the night was not forgotten and swept under the rug. Instead he gave Frisk a small wave, gritted his teeth in struggle to not frown when all he could see was red at the sight of what someone had done to them, and the corkscrew of agony around his SOUL coiled tighter.

Sans closed his eyes and slumped onto a bench behind him. He rubbed his hands over his face and held his head. He thought briefly of what happened before the raid on the monster community, back before trick-or-treating was coming to an end and he was going to head home with Toriel and spend some time together, back to the moment that, the simultaneously made him want to laugh and hurl at the same time. He had just been lucky he hadn't completely clammed up or accidentally had disgusting word vomit and crawled under a rock and died.

Frisk had called him their dad.

 _Their dad._

The thought alone made him want to puke. Not out of revulsion, but out of a fountain of different emotions that kept building up and up until it peaked in his ribcage and threatened to spurt from his mouth. He wished he would have been drinking something. It would have been more comical. Instead, he stumbled on his words like an idiot. Toriel had said it was only a matter of time. When Frisk first met Toriel, they hadn't even been together five minutes before they accidentally called her their mom. She even said it was surprising how long it was taking for Frisk to finally slip up or decide to openly refer to them as their dad (and then, he had thoughts, what if they didn't want him to be their dad, their had always been Puncle Sans or in public, their Dunkle when people starting asking questions because humans were nosey and sometimes he was panicky when it came to stuff he wasn't comfortable with and he just wanted to dive face first into a shortcut and teleport somewhere far away and—). For a split second he thought about patting Frisk's head awkwardly and pretending the moment never happened. Then he would of had to live with the guilt that he didn't acknowledge them and that they thought he was their dad and that he purposely ignored what was a big step for his kid—

His kid.

No matter how he thought about Frisk, it was always his kid. His squirt. His buddo. He was the one who taught them how to tie their shoes, how to perfectly position and whoopee cushion, how to apply advanced mathematics to calibrating machinery even though Frisk struggled to grasp any concept he had rambled on about and ended up making funny faces at him when they thought he wasn't looking. He was the one who sat them down and taught them how to make a quiche at three o'clock in the morning when they woke up from a nightmare and couldn't stop panicking over stuff he couldn't see but _knew,_ he was the one who picked up colorful bandaids with super heroes and butterflies and smiley faces because goddammit, if Frisk was going to be a klutz and miraculously get hurt all the time even though they were agile as fuck, his kid wasn't going to wear boring bandaids.

There he went again with the kid thing.

Toriel had mentioned that, if they ever were to get married—or, even before when she was giddy—that he could legally take Frisk as their child and become a second guardian to the child. His theoretical heart had stuttered at the thought of it and he actually _had_ spit out the coffee with a side of ketchup he was drinking at the time.

But then Frisk had called him their dad. And throughout every emotion Sans experienced in those few brief seconds of being frozen, the most prominent was joy. He was _happy._ He was nervous and short of breath and felt like he was going to die, but he had been happy. Finally reaching the Surface gave the skeleton a source of hope. Obviously, he was still a frickin' pessimist, but then end of resets meant he could finally be invested in things. He couldn't help but _not_ give up anymore. Not when his brother was so radiant and he had the world's most wonderful girlfriend and the best kid ever and a family. A family that had once consisted of two had almost followed an exponential growth curve when he thought about it.

When Sans had heard his phone ring when he got home and Toriel was in the shower, he thought nothing of it when he read the caller ID. Maybe the kid had something funny to tell him. Maybe they had just seen the coolest costume in the entire world.

But when he had heard Frisk's voice on the other line, the way they had screamed and cried for him had nearly caused his body to rip in two. It was excruciating. He never wanted to hear them yell like that again and he had come close to killing every human in black he could find. Instead, he had scooped the child up, made them promise not to look, and uncharacteristically got to work. At the sight of Papyrus fighting to keep monsters and humans separated, he had assisted in Papyrus's blue attack and, whenever his brother wasn't looking, drew up Gaster Blasters that nearly incinerated whatever human in black he could find. Against his will, he decided to follow his brother and show MERCY, bringing the raiders HP down until they could no longer retaliate or they were sent running off into the night. Although Asgore had inflicted his fair share of wounds, Sans observed him making sure that none of them were fatal. The last thing they needed was monsters murdering humans. Humans were already racist enough, Sans didn't need them all be afraid of them as well (fear lead to more raids, more raids lead to more monster fear, more monster fear lead to retaliation which lead to more fear and more raids) even though he wanted to strike the most unholy, egregious terror he could into their very cores.

 _"Frisk, my flower, are you alright?"_

 _At the sight of Asgore still in his armor Frisk cried harder and fresh blood ran down the bottom half of their face from their nose. The child scrambled to wrap themselves tighter around Sans_ _' torso and their head lashed from side to side. With one arm beneath them to keep them up on his chest, Sans took the other and pressed their face into his clavicle. The last thing he needed was self inflicted head trauma from their panic._

 _Papyrus was on the phone with the police. His brother, being the coolest and smartest guy around, dialed 911 as soon as they had the situation under control._

 _"_ _They…they are afraid of me." Asgore gave his head a desolate bow._

Papyrus and Asgore were in separate rooms recounting what had happened as well. Sans wished he could be with his brother. He grinned. He wished he could be with someone.

"My child!"

"I'm gonna kill whoever did this! I SWEAR I'M GONNA RIP THEIR—"

"U-Undyne!"

"Well it's true!"

At the sound of familiar voices and racing footsteps, Sans raised his head. Toriel sprinted past security guards to where Frisk was a little distance off on a bench with Sgt. Williams. Before she could yank her child into her arms, she froze in horror.

"MTT c-canceled his t-tour, h-he's on the way—"

Undyne and Alphys nearly smacked into Toriel due to her sudden skidding to a halt. Sans could only watch from across the room as the three monsters took in Frisk's battered appearance in shock.

Toriel covered her mouth and her eyes threatened to overflow with tears. She pulled Frisk into her arms and rocked and held onto her child, who had been attempting to give Ellie the Elephant a sucker, for a long time.

For whatever reason, a foreign feeling overcame the skeleton as he put his head back in his hands and gulped down the magic that was peaking on the edge of the rim of his eye sockets.

 _Healing magic could close wounds and prevent death, but it couldn't cause cuts and bruises to miraculously vanish. Asgore had initially reached out to help the child, but they had recoiled and held tighter to the skeleton._

 _"_ _papyrus?"_

 _At the sound of his voice, his brother was by his side in an instant. He took the child_ _'s face in his hands and closed his eyes. Sans could feel Papyrus's SOUL thrum and a beat of magic left his palms and fingers with a soft tempo. Immediately the child's nose stopped running and their cuts closed._

 _The monsters were returning to their neighborhood now that the police were beginning to arrive on the scene. They took in Frisk_ _'s appearance in awe, stopping to bow when approaching Asgore. They even dipped courteously a the sight of Frisk. Whispers of hope and mutters of gratitude added to the crackling of their burning homes._

 _"_ _Look what they've done to you!"_

 _"_ _Are you alright?"_

 _"_ _The ambassador will save us always."_

 _"_ _Praise onto Frisk."_

 _"_ _We can't thank you enough."_

He should have walked them to Asgore's. He could have stopped the madness as soon as it had begun. He could have saved his child from almost getting beaten into a pulp.

Too late and too useless as always.

* * *

"Can you tell us what happened?"

Frisk gazed down as they wrung their hands. Even though they felt more comfortable now that they were reunited with their mother, they were still afraid of explaining what they had witnessed. They didn't want to think about what they had seen. They longed to disassociate and never have to think about their father again. They could still feel Crook's hands on them.

They trembled and shivered.

Finally, Frisk worked up the courage to sign. They told Sgt. Williams and her partner how they and Papyrus had been walking to Asgore's when they heard screaming and smelled fire. How Vulkin ran to them crying and wailing for help. How Vulkin lead them to Asgore's neighborhood where they saw men in black destroying homes, beating monsters, and vandalizing anything they could get spray paint on.

"So these…these people in black weren't outright trying to kill anyone?" Sgt. Williams' partner asked. She had been translating for him.

Frisk's eyes narrowed slightly. _'I don't understand.'_

"They don't understand your question," Sgt. Williams said.

"I mean they were hurting the monsters, but you said that they didn't kill anyone. And, we haven't found any bodies. You said that they would hit the monsters and when they didn't fight back, they would leave them alone. So, the people in black weren't trying to kill anyone, right?"

"What kind of query is that?" Toriel questioned indignantly. Her hands quivered where they were resting on Frisk's shoulders. Their mother was standing behind them while they sat in a chair at the table across from the police officers.

"I was about to ask the same thing," Sgt. Williams responded flatly. Her gaze was stony and cold as she took in her partner.

"It was just a question." The officer held his pencil and notebook in the air. "Just gathering information."

"Look at my child," Toriel snapped. "There was obviously malicious intent. I am sure if Frisk and Papyrus had not arrived as timely as they did, the neighborhood would have been covered in dust."

"Ma'am," the officer tried to interject.

"My apologies," Toriel plowed on frigidly, "it seems that you are implying that death is what you need as evidence of cruel intentions."

Sgt. Williams bit her lip in order to hide her smile.

"Why don't you continue?" The partner gestured. He looked like he had a bad taste in his mouth.

Frisk told them about how they had helped the monsters get away from the humans. How they had passed out what first aid and food.

"We have testimonies from many monsters saying you saved their lives. You're a hero, Frisk."

Their mom gave their shoulder a tender squeeze. An unidentifiable pang of emotion echoed through their numb body like the resonance of a gong.

 ***Hey. You're okay, Frisk. We're…we're going be alright.**

Frisk scrunched up their eyes and took a deep breath.

 **Pity. I think you are actually listening to them.**

The child struggled not to choke.

They told the officers about how a man tried to take them away from Papyrus. That was how they got hurt.

"Do you know who he was? Did you recognize anything about him at all?"

Frisk took their time to answer Sgt. Williams' question. they stared straight ahead and fought not to burst into tears. They fought not to think about cigarette smoke and a voice like grinding gravel as they were thrown about a room.

 _'No.'_

The questions wrapped up after that. Frisk's explanations and answers got shorter the closer they neared absolute exhaustion. Their body was running out of adrenaline.

They were lead out of the room by Toriel. At the sight of Undyne, Sans, and Alphys standing together, she rushed to Sans and yanked him up into her arms.

"Thank you," Frisk caught her uttering, "for helping to save my child. I cannot thank you enough."

The next few minutes passed by in a blur. Sgt. Williams came out and mentioned to Toriel that as one of the ambassadors and past queen for monster kind, they would need her assistant with some of the witnesses who were too terrified to speak or far too livid to cooperate whatsoever. Toriel hugged them tightly and (was she crying into their hair?) assigned Undyne and Alphys to take Frisk home. Frisk searched for the skeleton when the cold absence of a hug full of pokey ribs and comforting warmth became apparent. Sans had already been escorted by Sgt. Williams to a room to help gather information.

Frisk's legs felt weak. They tugged lightly on Undyne's shirt and made a small grabby motion. The fish monster scooped Frisk up and the child hooked their legs on her waist and wrapped their arms around her neck. They pressed their face into her clavicle and tried to close their eyes, to wish the throbbing in their face away. Undyne threaded her fingers through the little human's hair and bumped her cheek against the top of their head.

Frisk heard something about food and a bath. They closed their eyes. Their hands quaked from where they were locked on opposing elbows. They were happy no one asked them if they were alright. They weren't sure what would happen if they raised their eyes in response.

Before they knew it they were being set into a seat in the back of Undyne's vehicle and a familiar blanket was draped around their shoulders. Undyne must have stopped by their house before she had drove to the police station with Alphys. Frisk reached into their inventory and set their elephant in their lap.

Undyne did their buckle for them. When she was stooping down to back out of the car, Frisk latched onto her arm and held on tight. For a moment their gazes met and Frisk felt their eyes widen with all of the hundreds of things they wished they could say but couldn't. They didn't have the strength or the bravery to utter aimless syllables strung together in a cacophony of terror. They weren't sure what the harsh, discordant mixture of sounds would form.

Uncharacteristically, Undyne kissed their forehead.

Next time Frisk opened their eyes, it was to hear Alphys cry out with a stifled shriek and watch Undyne's hand tightened into a fist around the steering wheel that caused her knuckles to strain against her scales. Frisk canted their head to stare out the window as they passed through Asgore's neighborhood. Smoke still rose in lazy coils from surrounding houses and scatter furniture, glass still glistening in shards in driveways.

The child's heart skidded to a stop and they sucked in a breath so deep their lungs screamed and squeezed their eyes together so fast they thought they had whiplash.

* * *

Somehow, Frisk made it home. They had thought they never would.

To the child's surprise, Alphys was the one to get them out of the car. Undyne had hopped out of the vehicle immediately upon parking and removing the keys from the ignition. Frisk could hear muffled cursing and Undyne's footsteps that seemed to rattle the world as she paced in the driveway.

"C-C'mon, Frisk, let's get y-you inside, okay?"

Frisk nodded their head into the crook of Alphys' neck and latched themselves onto the reptilian monster.

"Undyne, w-we'll be inside," Alphys announced. "I think y-you should come too. When y-you're ready, t-that is."

The door creaked. With every step Alphys took Frisk's fatigue grew enough for the both of them combined. Even though their eyes drooped as they watched Undyne trudge up the stairs to their bathroom (which was covered in cute fish wallpaper that Frisk was too tired to remind Alphys how much they liked it), every fiber of their being ached. They moved their arms in and attempt to readjust in the monster's grip but their muscles burned in protest.

"Oof. S-S-Sorry, Frisk, I…I…"

Even though their body whined a long complaint and the air in their lungs whooshed out of them, the little human moved to slide out of Alphys' grasp when a pair of much stronger arms snuck a pair of hands under their armpits and hoisted the child into the air.

Frisk cried out as a pulse of fear racked through their torso and their heart hammered in their throat.

"Hey! It's just me!" Undyne exclaimed when Frisk, who could only think of Crook's hands dragging them away from Papyrus, kicked out and wailed. At Undyne's voice the child wrapped their hands up in the front of her shirt and allowed their eyes to fly open at a breathtaking speed that made their world spin momentarily. They thought they had seen fire and dark masks. They thought they had smelled smoke and charred cushions. They thought they had felt—

They didn't have the ability to gasp out an apology. Instead they clung to Undyne as if she was a lifeline and fought against the incessant prickling in the back of their eyes.

"Hey…" Undyne's voice broke and her body tensed up beneath them. "It's me, Frisk. We're…we're alright now."

Frisk didn't look up until their socks and shoes were plucked from their feet and they were set down. They wriggled their toes on the multicolored tile. Normally, the cool hues reminded them of the ocean. Now they could only see the blue heat of possessions blazing in the street.

The child covered their eyes with their hands and took another breath. They steadied their breathing as their curiosity overcame them. Alphys began to protest when Frisk dragged the small stool up to the sink but Frisk's determination cut her off.

There was someone before them, someone rigid with zoned-out eyes that stared off into something they couldn't see.

"F-Frisk?"

They didn't recognize the person in the mirror. They took a small breath to test their reflection, to see if the stranger's body moved with theirs. Anything deeper than a short and sharp inhale caused the smoldering in the child's lungs to reignite. They touched their skin gingerly, their fingertips brushing where they could feel the deep ache from where bruises had blossomed in a blotchy, purple crescent moon around their eye, where irate knuckles had battered into their temple and caused the spinning world to burst into iridescent colors, where a ring gashed a stinging line into their forehead. Their was discoloration at the corner of their mouth. They could still perceive the metallic flavor on their tongue from where blood pooled in their mouth when their nose became a faucet.

Undyne's and Alphys's eyes were on Frisk; the human could feel them burning a hole where Crook had pounded blackening imprints of his fists into their cheeks. The child flitted their eyes downward and stepped back off the stool. They began to unzip their costume only to have it get stuck. Undyne's arms came around them and finished unzipping. There was the usual pause in the upward pull or downward zip of their clothing when their back was exposed. It was either careful hands dead set on resting while they thought or shaking limbs caught up in the fabric as if debating between one another whether they should continue or yank whatever the child was wearing back up or down as fast as they could.

"Undyne, I'll take it f-from here." Alphys' voice was quiet and controlled. "I-I'll call y-you if I need y-you."

Undyne finished unzipping Frisk's onesie and allowed them to step out.

"No." Her voice was calmer than her hands felt as they spun Frisk around. She couldn't meet Frisk's eyes and her piranha like teeth were gritted together in a something between a gruesome frown and a crazed grin. "Right now I'm going to take really good care of my favorite weenie pal and help my bestie into the tub."

Alphys nodded and began to run the water. Frisk watched as Undyne rummaged through their cabinets for everything bath related they could find from bath bombs to salts to comedically large squirts out of bubble bath bottles.

"That m-might be a bit…excessive," Alphys said nervously.

"Not at all!" Undyne gathered herself and curled her hand into a fist. She struck a heroic pose even though she looked like she felt anything but. She mostly looked angry like when her and the human had hung out for the first time and she had said sickly sweet practicalities to be polite. "Look at that nerd! They need the ultimate bathing experience!"

Frisk took Alphys' hand and stepped into the tub. They suppressed a groan as they shifted in the water. It was a struggle to get comfortable when it felt like their lungs were underwater, like their bones were on fire.

Undyne dunked their clothes into the washer and, with a manic laugh, slammed a new set of pajamas, a hooded shark towel, and three more towels as equally fluffy into the dryer.

 ***Are you okay?**

Frisk flinched at the sudden reappearance of Chara's voice in their brain. They accidentally sloshed some of the water Undyne had been pouring over their hair out onto the mat.

 _Chara?_

 ***What? Do you have other bodiless dead children that speak to you?**

 _Sorry. You scared me._

 ***You scared _me_.**

 _Are you okay?_

Laughter.

 ***You almost get ganked by your psycho dad and you're asking me if _I'm_ okay? This is why I hate humans! And why I hate you! Everyone else is so mean and you're so nice it's gross! I wanted to help but I…I couldn't! I couldn't do anything! It's like my connection to you is getting weaker. I thought that maybe I finally was back in control of our link, that maybe I could finally hitch a ride properly on your soul like before but…**

 ***I** **…I don't really hate you. I couldn't if I tried. You know that, right?**

 _Yes. Maybe if I came back to the Underground, maybe if I fell again—_

 ***No. Do not come back to the Underground. It's…it's not the same. Something's happening, something that's ripping through the void and causing weird things to happen. Weird loops and repeats like…like a glitch. I don't know how much more we can fix.**

Undyne was rinsing them off again. They had been too busy listening to Chara that they hadn't realized their hair had been scrubbed and their bath was almost over.

 ***I'm…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.**

Frisk cocked their head and let their confusion be known through the fading connection.

 ***I can't protect anyone. I can't save anyone. It's all my fault.**

 _Chara, no it's—_

 ***It's all my fault—**

The link went quiet as Frisk was hauled out of the tub and was greeted by three warm towels and their hooded shark towel. Alphys had left to get the bed made for the three of them to sleep in.

Frisk looked up at Undyne. Her eyes were watering as she rubbed Frisk dry.

"I'm fine!" Undyne snapped when she caught them looking. "I'm tough as he—heck."

 _'It's okay, Undyne.'_ Frisk signed slowly. ' _You don't have to pretend. You're allowed to be sad too.'_

Frisk hugged the kneeling monster and nuzzled their face against her shoulder. Undyne's arms constricted tight around them.

"I know," Undyne murmured. "I'm so sorry, Frisk. I should have walked you with Papyrus. I should have—"

Frisk shook their head and moved their palm in a circle against where Frisk guessed the monster's soul rested. They wished they could channel all of their love for Undyne into her body so she could feel as warm as they did whenever they were in her embrace.

Undyne pulled from the hug and straightened up with a cough. She helped Frisk into their pajamas and slung an arm under their waist so they could be carried at her hip. Once the child was sitting on Undyne and Alphys' bed, she said, "I'm gonna see if Alph can find anything for your bruises."

The monster ruffled their hair with a dejected smile. She clicked on the TV where an episode of Frisk's favorite anime was playing and then turned and headed off for the kitchen.

As Frisk allowed their legs dangle over the side of the bed, they held onto their elephant and contemplated about their home before Toriel's. They thought about Undyne and Alphys, how sad they would be if they had been dragged off by Crook, about Sans and Toriel and Papyrus, who would be lost without them, about Asgore who they loved dearly and felt bad for crying when they saw him instead of thanking him for saving them.

They wondered if they needed to ask permission to speak to leave Asgore a message on his phone.

And, as Undyne curled up around the child while Alphys applied ointment and ice to their wounds, Frisk managed to look her in the eye and, for the first time in awhile, thought about _life_.

* * *

Sorry this took some time to get out, work is a bitch and my own special hell :')

I am so thankful for every single one of you and for those who are just hopping on now! I love each and every one of you and your favorites/follows and reviews mean everything and more to me. There are no breaks on this train!

next chapter contains some asgore lovin', ghost smooches (bc who wouldn't smooch a ghost, would you?), and some other stuff that I'm still coming up with yay

Let's hope Crook dies,

-Sav


	16. Forgive (And Wish You Could Forget)

Even though they weren't sure how anything worked in the Void, let alone fleeing at top speeds, somehow they felt time and space meld to floor underneath their feet to give them the sensation of running.

The one they were working with said they had to seal the tear at all costs, that this one was far greater than any they had seen before. Even before a part of the gloom began to radiate, their associate had felt it rip through them. At first they remained calm. After deciphering through their associate's gestures, they realized that it was just a minor tear and that it could be fixed. Then pain cracked their associate's cautious front and it was an all out battle between pulsating walls, the eternal spreading fighting to become stagnant and solidify while their associate grunted and held out their broken hands. With a flash of magic that should have been white, it burned a brilliant scarlet. Their associate had collapsed in a heap, the gaps in their skull creeping further in opposite directions upon their face.

The tear caused walls to form in the Void.

 _The tear caused walls to form in the Void._

They followed their instinct after that. Instead of bolting away from the dark magic that caused every fiber of their being to scream, they plowed on.

They skidded to a halt as something bubbled up from the shrinking Void, something that oozed down where a glimmering tear had carved a deep gash into the Void that they knew they would never be able to close without help. Something that caused their already cold being to grown frigid. Something with scarlet eyes and a scarlet smile in a body of ink.

Something that drew up a knife that dripped black puddles into the Void that caused floors to form.

They ducked around a clumsy slash of the knife. The something—they knew what it was, they just refused to acknowledge it being more than that, a something—was uncoordinated without a proper vessel. They knew it had torn itself from its own vessel and the twisted creature had drawn the tear with their knife once it figured out that it could do more than slip its consciousness through the lacerations.

They crept behind the something and pressed both of their hands against the tear, willing it to close, willing for it to suck the darkness back in…

Something sunk into their back. They looked down to see the tip of a dark knife sticking out of their chest. They felt the place where the locket was supposed to rest begin to blaze and glitter white.

Oh.

They watched as the knife was dragged down their torso, nearly slicing their body in two.

 _Oh._

They had forgotten what pain felt like.

 **Finally. :)**

They could feel coding slipping away beneath them, numbers spiraling before their eyes before realigning and bursting into a memory.

 _Palms slapping against a forehead. Fists kneading into flesh. Heart pumping their anxiety to the rest of their body. Another_ _'s hand around their own to stop the madness, to tie them to the world._

They were supposed to hate themselves. They were the monster everyone thought they were. It was all their fault. They killed everyone. They were shown that path, they were taught that that was what was right, they didn't mean to kill everyone, they had to protect themselves, they had to—

 _"_ _I don'_ _t like it when you get like this, Chara. I don_ _'_ _t like it when you get all sad and scared."_

The black climbed their body in tendrils until they were nearly consumed. The vines slithered up their face. Their body felt heavy as if it was coated in tar.

 _"_ _I wish I wasn't human. I can't stand it, Asriel, I wish I was really Mom and Dad's child, then they would really love me, I wish—"_

No. They wouldn't give in. They wouldn't allow themselves to become devoured whole by what others thought them to be, what others made them to be. Instead of giving in, they closed their eyes and allowed their being to feel languid instead of dense and sinking into the abyss.

They were no longer in the Void. Instead, they allowed themselves to be standing in Waterfall surrounded by the soft luminescence of echo flowers. They had come to make wishes.

The place where their locket was supposed to rest began to glow.

 _"_ _Stop it, Chara. Don't say that. You_ are _Mom and Dad's child. They love you so much. We love you all so much!"_

 _A pregnante pause._

 _"Aren't you mad?"_

 _"_ _What? Why would I be mad?"_

 _"_ _My species locked yours in the Underground for all eternity! Who knows how long we will all be trapped down here, Azzy. You should hate me."_

 _A peal of laughter._

 _"_ _What?!"_

 _"_ _You're so silly, Chara. I could never hate you!"_

 _A flood of indignation._

 _"_ _Why not?!"_

 _"_ _You should know by now none of that matters to me. Humans, monsters…we're all the same deep down, aren't we? I love you, Chara. I doesn't matter to me what you are. You will always be my best friend."_

 _"_ _Azzy…"_

 _"_ _I…I was going to save this for later, but…here."_

 _A glimmer of gold. A token warm with endearment._

 _"_ _I really do mean it, Chara. It doesn't matter to me that you're a human. You're my best friend in the entire world. To me you're family. To me, you're everything."_

 _"_ _I…Asriel…"_

 _"_ _Do you like it?"_

 _"_ _Yes."_

 _An assuring weight resting around their neck as if it was meant to be. Hands squeezing together in the darkness turned into an_ _enamored embrace._

 _Sniffling._

 _"_ _Ha ha…you…ha…you big dork."_

 _A smirk._

 _"_ _I thought you said you were too tough to cry."_

 _"_ _Tougher than you! Earlier you were crying about snails."_

 _Another sniffle._

 _"_ _They don't have any arms."_

 _Laughter. Glee. Happiness. Hand in hand, racing back to New Home._

Their chest flashed a brilliant, blinding white.

 _"_ _I'll cherish it always."_

 ***Always.**

* * *

Instead of awaking with the usual start, eyes shooting open and fingers wrapped up in the sheets as if their grip was the only thing tethering them to their plane of existence, Frisk felt at ease as they allowed their eyes to slowly open. There was an absence of monsters on either side of them. They had been wrapped up with Alphys into a bear hug by Undyne in the middle of the night. Although the position had been awkward at first it was unexpectedly comfortable. The powerful thrum of magic coursing through Undyne's body as she snored paired perfectly with Alphys's tender cadence had lulled the human to sleep almost immediately.

They hadn't minded sharing memories during their time in the Underground. In the beginning Chara would snap at them, claiming it was private if their emotions accidentally slipped through. Sometimes if Frisk was unconscious, they could hear voices speaking to them through the gloom. It would never compare, though, to the floodgate of memories and emotion while trying to SAVE Asriel.

They thought about last night. Instead of the usual reprimand they were met with when dwelling on unpleasant reminiscence and musings, there was only muffled silence. It was dulled by the absence of their companion.

Frisk contemplated equipping the locket. They thought better of it. Sometimes it only heightened the intensity of the flashbacks.

 _"it's a beautiful day outside…"_

 _"I'm not ready for this to end."_

 _"_ _birds are singing…flowers are blooming…"_

 _"_ _I'm not ready for you to leave."_

 _"_ _on days like these, kids like you…"_

 _"_ _I'm not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again…"_

 _"_ _should be burning in—"_

The deep resonance of Asgore's voice below them froze the child in mid thought. They hated how fragments of darkness could cloud any recollection they were attempting to make and how time seemed to spiral away from their grasp and continue weaving into a tangled web out of their reach, but were extremely thankful that they could no longer hear a voice akin to Sans' distorted by wrath. Frisk pulled at the sleeve of their pajamas and paused to think.

The child supposed they could be sneaky enough to scope out downstairs. Hopefully Asgore wasn't in the kitchen. They wanted to eat foreign cereal with marshmallows shaped like anime characters. But, at that thought, they felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. He wouldn't be in their armor anymore. It wasn't his fault. He was just trying to protect his people. He had just been doing the best he could for his race.

He hadn't meant any of it. He didn't know about the bend in time before the lab. He didn't know about too-many-to-count times where the child had died at his hand.

Frisk felt like they were going to throw up.

The little human exited the room and tiptoed down the stairs. They held their hand on the railing so they wouldn't fall. For some reason their eyes watered the closer they crept to the kitchen. A nearly overwhelming mixture of self-reproach and dread caused bile to bubble in their throat. They peeked around the arching doorway with bated breath.

Undyne, Alphys, and Asgore were sitting in the kitchen around a small dining table. Asgore's massive back was facing them, Undyne and Alphys on the left and right side of the table each with a mug of tea cupped in their hands. They seemed to attentive and hanging on to the ex monster king's every word.

Frisk paused when they heard their name. The child did a one hundred eighty degree pivot and, with a sidestep, pressed themselves close to the wall so they were out of sight so they could eavesdrop.

"—is a symbol. All of monster kind looks up to them."

"Yes, but Frisk doesn't know that," Undyne broke in. "They don't understand that others see them like that. The nerd just wants to be friends with everyone, you know they help anyone in need."

"Unfortunately, you have proven my point."

"How?"

"The rag-tag rebel group know this. They will take advantage of Frisk's hospitality, their selflessness, their determination. And with the human caucus in their pockets, I fear for all of our futures."

"B-B-But they can't t-touch Frisk, r-right?"

"'Course not! No way I'll let the frickin' Sealers lay a hand on the kid! Well, I mean…ARGH! NEVER AGAIN ANYWAY!"

"How are their injuries recovering?"

"Th-They were a little s-sore yesterday, but a-after another dose of hea-healing magic, they'll be fine."

"Oh good. It is such a beautiful day outside. I was hoping to take them on a picnic. Maybe even play a game of catch."

 _"birds are singing…flowers are blooming…"_

The wallpaper began to peel as a rip grew in the wall. Frisk remembered what Chara told them at the park and sucked in several deep breaths while looking at their feet. They placed a hand over their heart as if the contact would soothe its speeding cadence.

A scaly yellow monster in armor. Glimmering red. Another's hand controlling their own as if their limbs were wrapped in string.

The flashes of visions began to fade at Asgore's voice.

"Do…do you think they will want to see me?"

Undyne laughed. "Of course they will! They love you, Fluffybuns!"

"It is just…" Asgore's voice sounded haunted. "If only you could have seen the way they looked at me last night. The fear in their eyes…it was the same terror from when…"

A broken sigh. "I do not want them to be afraid of me. I was finally beginning to feel as if I had a family again."

Frisk pulled the locket out of their inventory and rolled it over in their hands. They ran their fingertips over the words engraved on the smooth surface.

 _Best friends forever._

 _"_ _I was finally beginning to feel as if I had a family again."_

Echoing laughter.

 _"_ _You're not Chara, are you? Chara's been gone a long time."_

The scent of butterscotch and crayons.

 _"_ _Ha…ha…I don't want to let go."_

Frisk's grip tightened. Once again, the child thought better of equipping the only piece of armor they were currently carrying. They slipped the locket back into their inventory and steeled their resolve.

The little human was tired of sorrow and despondent nostalgia. No longer did they want Asgore and Toriel looking at them as if they were seeing a ghost. They did not want the pain to still be so raw even after all of the years that had passed just because the child had stepped into the monster's lives. They were going to bring back Chara and Asriel no matter the cost; they were going to all be a family again.

Frisk gulped. They just had to swallow their fear that had been too fresh to bare from the night before and face Asgore. The child loved him with everything they had. It shouldn't have been so hard to step around the wall.

They peeked back at the glimmer that sat in the corner of their vision. They would tell Sans about the tears to the best of their ability. He was a scientist, he could help.

Together, maybe they could even fix Asriel and bring back Chara.

The little human collected their courage and took a step into the kitchen.

Asgore straighten up at the sound of their feet on the kitchen tile. Undyne and Alphys glanced to Frisk in the same moment, Alphys squawking out their name with a series of anxious titters and Undyne giving them a nervous grin. The fish monster peeked over at the past monster king and her sweating girlfriend.

There was a long, awkward silence. Then, Undyne was the first to clear her throat and speak.

"Mornin', Frisk! Hungry? Tea?"

Frisk made the letter 'a' on both of their hands and held them up to their eyes like glasses as they signed. _'Alphys, are you okay?'_

"G-G-Great!" Alphys squeaked. "I, uh…" She bit her lip and her eyes darted to the two other monsters at the table. "We w-were just talking a-about…uh…baseball!"

Undyne glimpsed at her fiancée.

"YEAH!" She agreed with an awkward shout. There were beads of sweat on her brow. "We were playing…" Undyne gave Alphys a desperate look.

"On Neptune!" Alphys cried out before slapping her hands over her mouth.

Undyne and Alphys were great at many things. Unfortunately, they did not excel at lying.

"Fuhuh..huh…huh…Alphys! You jokester!" Undyne chortled. "Uh…anyway, Alphys loves baseball now. We tried it last night!"

"I e-even made it past…first base!" Alphys stammered out just as Undyne exclaimed, "Alphys got a home run!"

Alphys's eyes narrowed and a sly smile crept over her face for half a second only to have it be wiped off by Asgore.

"Alphys, Undyne, there is no need for falsehoods." He slowly craned his body around. "We were simply discussing— _oh._ "

The night before, it had been too dark to take in Frisk's face when it wasn't stuffed into Sans' clavicle. As Asgore's gaze roamed over the child's bruised features, his expression turned from one of fear, to anger, and then great sadness.

"Frisk…" He trailed off, unable to find the words to express how he was feeling.

The little human took a careful step forward. Their eyes stung. Asgore reached for Frisk. His paw quaked as it gingerly cupped their cheek.

 _'I'm sorry,'_ the child signed, _'for last night.'_

"My child, there is nothing to be sorry for," Asgore uttered, his voice unsteady.

Frisk leaned into his palm and placed a hand on the back of his much bigger one. Their face contorted as they tried not to cry.

"Do not fret. I was the one who could not protect you when you needed protecting."

Frisk shook their head. They didn't want anyone else to feel sorry for not protecting or saving them. For a moment they considered that maybe they deserved to be beaten by Crook for not returning home, for speaking without being told and eating and drinking without asking first, for going outside, and for wishing that they would never see him again when deep down, they knew it was inevitable. He would always be a constant in their life, a gloomy, hulking figure slinking in their blindspots.

The child wasn't sure what to say. Instead, they lowered their hands to Asgore's knees and pushed themselves up into his lap. There they curled up in his embrace and rested their head against his torso where they figured his SOUL might sit. They reached up for his beard and ran their fingers through his mane before allowing their trembling fingers to tighten his shirt into knots.

They held onto him and only one thought crossed the child's mind: how they were unable to protect Asriel when he was at his most vulnerable.

The child mused briefly about the collection of timelines (both blurry and nearly crystal, some sour and others sweet like good dreams) to the moments they were able to spend with Asriel in the flowerbed. Frisk remembered the promise they made to him, how they wouldn't tell anyone that he was alive and what had occurred. They spent as long as they could in the flowerbed with him. Sometimes the human left to collect presents to give him. When they came back, sometimes they would play games. They would even tell each other secrets and Frisk was suddenly able to find their voice (Asriel didn't mind that it quaked and they took longer to get what they wanted to say out. But, the monster did most of the talking. They didn't mind.). Other times they returned to a flower a bit taller than the rest slumped in among the bed. Their heart would feel as if it had shattered in their chest and they would head back to their friends waiting at the barrier.

As they clung to Asgore they were only more determined to find a way to SAVE his children.

"Uh…Frisk?" Undyne's voice sounded uncharacteristically uneasy and tentative. "Would you like some breakfast?"

Frisk looked back to Undyne and gave the monster a nod. With one last glimpse up at Asgore, the little human hopped down from his lap and dragged a chair over so they could eat by the ex-king's side.

Breakfast went relatively smoothly after that. Between Asgore inviting Frisk over to his cottage for the afternoon and Alphys gushing about a new anime she had found, Mettaton and Napstablook burst through Undyne's front door (more correctly, Napstablook phased through the wall and before they could even get anything out of their mouth, Mettaton had already kicked the door down with a bedazzled and impossibly heeled boot). Mettaton took one look at Frisk and rushed over, heaved them up from the chair by scooping them up from under their armpits, and wrapped his noodle arms around the child about thirty-seven times while raging about humanity and planting kisses on Frisk's face (" _I_ couldn't even shop at one of _my_ boutiques, the nerve of the nastier bits of humanity! Sweetheart, I am going to find every last human and _humiliate_ them on live television! And _then,_ just when they think it's done, my dear, oh ho ho! I'll _RIP_ any last shred of hope their _miserable_ bodies contain and _salsa_ on their _corpses_ all the way to the top of the charts! Listen here, gorgeous, I am going to contact my networkers and take some well needed us time! My fans can wait, you are far too important! Are you okay? They didn't hurt you too badly, did they? Darling, I am so sorry I was gone, I promise I _will_ make it up to you—").

By the time Mettaton had nuzzled their nose and set the rather dazed Frisk back on their feet, Napstablook was ready to take their leave.

"oh….i don't mean to leave so quickly….but….oh this is…awkward…i was hoping to spend time with you today….i made a new song that might cheer you up…but if king asgore is going to then….i will wait….we can hang out later…if you want….but only if you want to….no pressure…oh…..i'm sorry….i'm just glad you're okay, frisk….."

The child leaned forward and planted a smooch where they figured Napstablook's cheek might be. The ghost blushed. Joyful tears leaked down their form from their eyes as they leaned up against Frisk and cried a bow into their hair.

The human's stuff was gathered from Undyne and Alphys's bedroom. They hugged both of the monsters goodbye, wishing they had the words to thank them for taking care of them but struggling to come up with the strength to even sign their gratitude. Alphys was understanding as always and Undyne didn't need words when she could pull you into some complicated wrestling move she saw on TV while trying to yank you out of your pajamas or spin her knuckles into your noggin' with a hearty, "see ya later, punk!" and a huge grin.

Asgore offered a paw once they were standing outside. Mettaton was on the phone with someone and ranting and raving as he paced up and down the driveway. Frisk figured he couldn't be helped and, with a steady arm (after breathing deeply to calm down and remind themselves that Asgore meant gentle words and safety and nose nuzzles and comfort) they slipped their hand into his and gave him a patient smile.

It was just as warm—if not warmer—than the last time their little hand was enveloped in his much bigger one.

Mettaton escorted the pair halfway to Asgore's home, claiming that he had to blow off some steam. His heels clicked over the pavement in a storm of clacks. When he stopped at his road, he struck a dramatic pose, planted a kiss on Frisk's forehead that the human happily returned (would they smooch a ghost? Heck yeah! They were two for two!), and waltzed off.

* * *

Asgore's neighborhood was buzzing with life. Monsters of all shapes and sizes had gathered outside the ruined homes to repair what they could with magic and what they couldn't by hand, claw, paw, nub, or tentacle.

Many stopped whatever they were doing when they spotted Asgore to wave and call out greetings. For having many of their homes in ruins and their possessions burned in the streets, they were oddly cheerful.

The little human supposed the sight of the king filled them with optimism. Their king had yet to let them down. Or, perhaps they were doing it so Frisk wouldn't be so hard on themselves. The child was not the rest of their kind.

Something in the corner of their eyes caught their attention. Something glimmering and bright like something they had seen before, like a—

 _A child's arms were crossed over their stomach as they laughed._

 _"_ _Haha…hahah! Buttercups instead of—haha—cups of butter!"_

 _A child's hand's were curled into claws and spread wide over their distraught eyes. They were laughing. Their eyes glistened._

 _"_ _Hah…hah…how could you be so stupid, Chara…? Hah…he…hah…he coudda—buttercups instead of…haha—hahahahahahaahahhahahahahahahahahhhahahaha?!"_

—tear.

 _A child_ _'s laughter disintegrated into sobs._

The human decided not to look back.

* * *

The little human plucked a yellow crayon from the box and stuck the tip of their tongue out of the corner of their mouth. They had to get their picture perfect, well, _picture perfect._

They peeked up at Asgore to gauge his reaction to their drawing. He was currently sitting perfectly still as the child had instructed him to do so. The child threw up their arms and shook their hands in signal for him to remain a statue when he began to cant his head.

A deep, rumbling chuckle escaped the monster's throat.

"My sincerest apologies."

Frisk gave him a nod and went back to their coloring. They briefly considered putting sunglasses on crayon-Asgore but decided against it. Instead, Frisk began to decorate his shirt with flowers.

"My, that looks very nice."

Frisk made a motion as if they were blowing him a kiss. They did not look up from their drawing though; they had to get his mane perfect.

"May I move my head to finish my portrait?"

Frisk nodded. If they really needed his head in a certain position, they would angle it for him.

They colored mostly in silence. Every now and again Asgore hummed a note or two before stringing them into a series and then pausing only to shade in the leaves of the tree he was doodling. Eventually, the two made eye contact and Frisk nodded, ready to reveal their drawing.

 _'For you,'_ Frisk signed happily. _'Do you like your shirt?'_

Asgore beamed. On Frisk's paper was a drawing of him holding hands with the child. Scrawled on the bottom in Frisk's inexperienced handwriting were the words _To Dad Love Frisk_ _._

"Thank you, child," Asgore said affectionately. "I shall treasure it."

Frisk gave him a smile and instead of picking another blank piece of paper, chose a coloring book. They flipped it open to a dinosaur and began coloring.

They glanced up when Asgore didn't scoop his far-too-little crayons back up into his far-too-big. The monster was staring down at the piece of paper, eye teeming with thoughts.

"Frisk?" His voice sounded momentarily disconnected from his body as if the rest of him was in a far off place. "I must speak with you about something very important. Is that alright?"

The child looked up from they're coloring and gave him a nod. The monster king cleared his throat and set down his gift.

"I…I understand why you were afraid when I was attempting to defend the neighborhood. I would have been afraid of myself as well."

Frisk's head bowed. They raised their hands to sign but Asgore cut them off.

"Please, child, do not apologize. You had every right to be scared. I simply wanted to implore—to _ask—_ for your forgiveness. I know that you do not like seeing me like that but…there is going to come a time where I might need to take up arms again. I am hoping that time will never come again. But I must protect my kind and the ones that I care deeply about. Can you trust me not to hurt you?"

Frisk's eyes slowly raised from their hands. Their lungs stumbled for air as they gave their head a shaky dip.

"There…" Asgore took a deep breath. "There is something else I must speak with you about. May I continue?"

Frisk blinked in affirmation. They wrung their hands anxiously.

"The ones that hurt the others, the ones that hurt you, they will be back, child. You were almost dragged off by one of the terror…not very nice people. Can you promise me that you will not stray far from your mother or another family member or myself? The mean ones have made their intentions clear and I am fearful for you, my flower. Until all of this is resolved, can you promise me that you will stay close to our sides when we are out and about?"

Once again, Frisk nodded. Asgore smoothed back their hair and bumped his nose against theirs.

"Boop." The child allowed the syllable to slip from their lips. They gave Asgore a smile in hopes that it would placate his worry for the time being. Before they knew it, a few other word tumbled from their lungs, over their tongue, and out into the open. "I-I love you."

Asgore wrapped Frisk up into his arms and nuzzled their face. At first, Frisk relished in the affection but soon the monster's beard began to tickle. The child giggled and, when the nuzzling went on, laughed harder and squirmed in his arms as if they had any chance of breaking free from Asgore's vice grip. Asgore's muzzle buried itself into the little human's hair and the monster breathed in their scent. For a moment, his grip tightened and Frisk could almost feel a pulsation (of fear? dread? sadness? worry?) from his SOUL.

"I love you as well, my flower. I am…I am…so _sorry_."

The child canted their head to gaze at their father. They extended their hands up and cradled his face with a small, confused hum.

Asgore was… _crying._ They had never seen him appear to be so upset before. Sure, they had seen his hands quake and eyes long to say words that remained unspoken, but underneath all of that was an amazingly calm front, one that Frisk had truly believed was real.

Now, the child knew that it was not. As he sniffled and trembled, Frisk realized their strong and untroubled father was actually just a distressed and grieving man, one who swallowed his sorrow to help those in need instead of facing it head on. He was a lover, a giver, a murderer, someone who had been too strong for too long and really, in the end, was never strong enough.

Frisk tried to sign the equivalent of telling him not to cry, that it was all okay. Instead they stopped halfway through the beginning of their plead and signed something else.

 _'It's okay if you want to cry. There is nothing to be sorry about. I forgive you for everything.'_

Asgore held the child up and pressed his face into their chest. Frisk hugged his head and ran their fingers through his hair. They struggled to reach his back to scratch it but were held too tightly in the monster's grip it was hard to move.

"I can't…" Asgore snuffled and quaked. "I can't lose you too."

"N-Ne-Never ev-ever," Frisk promised. "L-Love y-y-you to-too much."

Later it would all be fine. Later Frisk would wipe away the last of his tears and tell him a knock knock joke and a pun they knew he would hate, but chuckle at anyway and comment that their mother was rubbing off on them. Later they would go out and play catch. Later they would pick wild flowers and have tea and play checkers.

But that was later. And Asgore needed all the love he could get now.

* * *

 **sorry this took so unbelievably long! my summer break has been so busy! i hope the updates become a little more consistent once i'm back at my university. i move in the 28th/29th of this month.**

 **next chapter i plan to be larger! i'm done with work now, but now i have to get everything ready for the big move back into my dorm. i hope to have the next one out asap. thank you all for being so patient :) 3**

 **would any of you be interested in reading a undertale/steven universe crossover if i was to write one? i've been mulling the idea over in my head and trying to come up with different ideas and a story line.**

 **anyway, thankful for you guys as always,**

 **-sav**


	17. The Doppelgänger

It had been an impossibly long night.

Although she wasn't new to the duty of serving her people, Toriel couldn't help but feel completely and utterly exhausted. The sight of her battered child had been enough to drain the life from her. She had temporarily stolen it back from the recesses of her mind, where voices chirped that it was her fault, that Frisk had almost been added to the collection of mangled bodies and a lone pile of dust she could not save.

Her SOUL had spasmed and every ounce of magic within her body trickled from her extremities to her stomach when Papyrus told her that Frisk had almost been dragged off into the night by one of the terrorists. Her paw coiled into a fist and her claws had dug so deeply into her palm she was surprised they didn't jab right through when she clutched it to chest in horror. The monster had found it to be a terrible struggle to keep breathing, but she pressed on as she always had and spoke to her people, provided guidance to those thoroughly lost, and helped her fellow monsters get their testimonies out to the police when it was far too hard to speak.

Upon finding out that Asgore had helped save her child, she had gone to him (even though she very much did not want to, even though they were civil with one another a small part of her was still repulsed by his presence) and wrung her hands together, thanking him for protecting Frisk in her absence, for preventing their people from becoming mere piles of dust scattered about the neighborhood.

"Of course, Toriel," Asgore had uttered.

He had asked if he could see her child in the morning. He had asked if he could make it up to the little human for frightening them in the heat of battle. And, somehow, Toriel had managed to agree while she wanted nothing more than to take Frisk up into her arms, use every last ounce of her magic to wipe the bruises and scars from their small stature, and never let them go.

Papyrus eventually went home. Despite the fact that he hardly got any sleep on a daily basis anyway and he was extraordinarily great in dealing with the most nervous of monsters, Asgore sent him away and told him to get some well needed rest. It was obvious from the shadows under his eye sockets that the events of the night had taken a toll on him. He hesitantly retreated home after speaking with his older brother.

Toriel hadn't seen Sans most of the night. He spent a large majority of it with the police (or so she assumed) and making the most downhearted of monsters laugh (and groan) at his jokes.

Eventually, she did find him in an empty room. The skeleton flinched when she turned on the lights and, upon seeing it was her, pasted on a smile.

"heya, t."

He looked more haunted than usual. Toriel inquired if he was quite alright.

" **tibia** honest, i'm tired to the **bone** ," he said with a laugh that didn't meet his eyes. He got up and stretched.

"Perhaps you should put a bit more **backbone** into it," the former queen suggested.

Sans continued to grin and wiped his hand (that was…shaking?) over his fatigued eye sockets with a weary chuckle. She caught a glimpse of magic flashing out between his fingers when he rubbed his left eye. He then pulled a bandana out of his short's pocket and moped off of his brow bone.

"Sans…you…you appear to be ill," Toriel muttered, placing a concerned hand on his forehead. "You feel warm."

"nah, i'm alright. i just gotta, heh, **sweat** it out."

Toriel pursed her lips. "I believe it is time for you to head home. You really do not look well, Sans."

When the monster moved to place her hand on the small of his back, he caught her wrist. She hadn't noticed it before, but his breathing was haggard.

"nah, t, really," he panted. "i'm…i'm…"

His pupils rolled up into his eye sockets and he swayed before nearly face planting on the floor.

"Sans!" she cried, catching him before his skull made contact with the tile. She pulled the skeleton into her arms as she shook him. "Sans!"

"heheh…" he laughed weakly. He seemed to be grappling with the lethargy that was threatening to drag him under once again. "home seems like a…"

"Good idea?" Toriel managed to say. "Sans, what is the matter? I have never seen you like this!"

He groaned and his fingers scraped over his skull as he clutched his cranium in his hands. His teeth gritted together in a grimace.

Toriel eased him down and helped him prop himself against the wall. Promising she would be back shortly, for the second time that night she faced Asgore.

"Sans is not feeling well whatsoever. I must take him home. Will you be able to handle yourself here until I return?"

"Oh." Asgore's face drew up in surprise. "Yes, of course. Is he alright?"

Toriel nodded and explained that he was just beginning to fall under the weather and wanted to take him home before he got worse.

"I understand. You should stay home as well. You appear equally as tired, and it is important to get a good night's rest. I can finish up here, there are only a few more witnesses to question and some paperwork I must sign. Perchance I will see you tomorrow?"

When Toriel found Sans where she left him, he was incoherent and on the cusp of unconsciousness. Without causing too much attention to fall onto her and the skeleton, she managed to half-walk half-carry Sans to the car and drive him home, the whole time with him complaining that he was fine and alright, maybe he was tired and maybe he did need to go home, and barely accomplishing to get out the puns he was obviously trying to make to lighten the mood.

"It is alright, Sans," Toriel assured when he made a strange face, one a mixture of pain and fear. She rubbed the space between his scapulas soothingly. "I have you."

When he was in his seat and buckled in, Toriel swore she heard a name leave his figurative lips, one that caused her to tense up in shock and nearly interrogate him on where he heard that name, on how he _knew_ that name.

Instead, she passed it off as one of the many unintelligible syllables he was panting and grumbling under his breath and drove him home, stoping only to reassure him he was fine when he made retching noises like Frisk once did when they were ill, and to tell him he was safe when he cried out and his hands flew to feel and climb over his torso.

With a sigh, Toriel begrudgingly accepted that her impossibly long night was only going to become longer.

* * *

 _"Your fault."_

 _He kneeled over a pile of dust on top of a red scarf._

 _"It's going to happen again."_

 _His brother smiled only to have his head thud to the ground by the slash of a knife._

 _"Your fault."_

 _He should have gone with him._

 _"Nothing you can do."_

 _He stood over a melted pile of dust._

 _"Just give up."_

 _Pieces of Mettaton littered the stage._

 _"Your fault."_

 _Shyren would never sing again._

 _"They're dead because of you."_

 _Toriel croaked out the tale of the child's betrayal. Of his betrayal._

 _"Why didn't you stop them?"_

 _His hands were stained red._

 _The kid's eyes glowed scarlet._

 _"Your fault."_

 _"Your fault."_

 _Frisk screamed for help._

 _"Your fault."_

 _"YOUR FAULT."_

Sans awoke with a start, his hands flying up to feel where his chest had once been hacked in two. His eye blazed as magic pounded painfully against the sides of his skull. The skeleton gasped for breath and felt his neck, his cheek bones, his clavicle and his sternum to make sure he was still whole, to make sure he hadn't disintegrated like the others he couldn't protect.

He wheezed and covered his eye sockets with shaking hands. His SOUL convulsed and the monster shivered against the ice in his bones.

"Sans?" a soft voice asked.

The skeleton brawled with the overwhelming urge to stop breathing. He floundered for air as his body trembled faster. Slowly he uncovered his eye sockets and took in a bleary and concerned Toriel.

One moment there were gashes across her body. The next she was dust. Sans blinked hard and fought to keep his grip on what was real and what wasn't.

Toriel didn't ask whether or not he was alright. She had seen him like this before—dazed, confused, terrified. She wrapped her arms around the skeleton and drew him close. Sans quaked in her embrace. Beads of sweat trickled down his face as he fought against the sob building up in his throat.

"It was just a dream, Sans," Toriel uttered. "Everything is alright. I promise everything is alright."

It wasn't his fault. It couldn't be. It was their fault, the _other thing's_ fault.

Toriel began to hum the song she sang to Frisk whenever the child couldn't sleep or she was the one to comfort them from a nightmare. They sat like that for a long time, Sans gradually quieting and his breathing settling. As soon as she began to rub his back, she started to sing the lullaby. Sans didn't have the heart to stop her.

He leaned further into Toriel as she continued to sing. He closed his eyes and tried not to think of how much he would miss her in the next reset.

But there wasn't going to be another reset. Fuck, there wasn't going to be another reset. He needed to get ahold of himself. Joy swelled in his ribs at the thought of being able to stay in Toriel's arms forever.

 _"Hush, hush, time to be sleeping…"_

He readjusted slightly in her grip. The brilliantly red eyes that waited for him when he closed his own eyes had almost faded from the darkness. He tried not to think about when she admitted to him with watering eyes that she used to sing the lullaby for someone else.

 _"Hush, hush, dreams come a-creeping, dreams of peace and of freedom…"_

"thanks, tori." He finally murmured. "i…i gotta check on pap, if that's ok."

"Of course, Sans. Sometimes I…" She trailed off with a woeful smile. "I understand."

Sans slipped out of her arms and down off the bed. He stepped into his slippers, staggering slightly, and headed for the door. He waved off Toriel's calls to see if he needed help and held onto the doorframe when the world spun.

"Sans? If you begin to feel unwell again, please let me know."

"uh, yeah," he said, gulping down his queasiness. "yeah, s-sure, t."

He almost missed it when Toriel spoke again. But, he knew it wasn't for him. it was uncharacteristically quiet even for Toriel. She had trouble hiding the sadness in her voice as he caught the last line of her song while she rolled over to try to sleep.

 _"So smile in your sleep, bonny baby…"_

Sans shut the door behind him and slumped down to his brother's room. He snuck in as quietly as he could, tiptoeing through the room until he reached his brother's bedside (only stopping once—twice—to crouch down when he thought he was going to hurl even though he couldn't).

"pap?" he muttered.

Papyrus cracked open an eye.

"can i…heh…" He swallowed the lump building in his throat. "uh…"

Papyrus opened the covers and rolled to make room between him and Frisk before he realized that the child was not there and Sans could squeeze into his bed without an issue.

"thanks, bro."

"OF COURSE, SANS," Papyrus whisper-yelled. "ANYTHING FOR YOU."

Sans curled up next to his brother and scooted himself closer to make sure the larger skeleton really was there, to make sure he was still alive and well. He was alive and well. He was alive and well. They both were alive and well. That was all that mattered.

* * *

Papyrus was the one to pick Frisk up from Asgore's home. Asgore and Frisk had been laying out on the front lawn when the sound of a bike bell rung repeatedly and his reedy voice busted the tranquility of the human's cloud watching.

"HELLO, HUMAN, KING ASGORE!"

Frisk popped up with a smile and rushed to meet Papyrus on the sidewalk. Before he could even park his bike, Frisk had launched themselves at him like a small, human projectile. Papyrus tottered on one leg and used the one that was up in the air to swipe his kickstand down.

"I AM GLAD TO SEE YOUR GREETINGS ARE AS ENTHUSIASTIC AS USUAL, HUMAN!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I BET YOU AND KING ASGORE HAD ALL SORTS OF FUN. BUT, OF COURSE, NOT AS MUCH FUN AS YOU WOULD HAVE HAD IN THE GREAT PAPYRUS'S PRESENCE."

His scarf fluttered dramatically in the breeze and the skeleton struck a heroic pose with Frisk latched onto his spine, their little fingers curled around the posterior side of a pair of ribs and the crook of their knees locked on his pelvis.

Asgore sat up with a chuckle. "Of course, Papyrus, I would not dare to doubt your, as you say, fun capabilities."

"NYEH HEH! MY FUN CAPABILITIES ARE THE HIGHEST!" The skeleton cheered. "I AM HAPPY HOW THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS GETTING ALONG AFTER THE BAD MEN DID A VIOLENCE!"

"I will go retrieve Frisk's bag. Be back in a moment," Asgore announced as if the change the subject, walking off with a hum and a bounce in his step.

"IN THE MEANTIME, LET US SEE HOW YOUR BATTLE SCARS ARE FARING!" Papyrus reached his hands underneath the child's armpits and lifted them up into the air. "HMMM…" His pupils roamed over the fading bruises the child supported, not nearly as fresh looking as had been in the morning even though they had just been pounded into the child's face mere hours ago. "YOU ARE HEALING AT AN INCREDIBLY FAST RATE. IT MUST BE THE RESULT OF MY EXCEPTIONALLY POWERFUL HEALING ABILITIES!"

Once Asgore emerged from his home, Frisk's backpack was shouldered on the child and they were quickly doted on (their knit hat was readjusted, their scarf was tucked into their jacket and then the windbreaker was zipped back up). When the monster leaned down to bump his nose against Frisk's forehead, Frisk tilted their head upward at the last moment and gave his muzzle a fond smooch. The child then gave him another hug and kiss when they were placed up onto the rest behind Papyrus's seat.

"Goodbye, my flower!" Asgore called after Papyrus and Frisk as Papyrus pedaled away from Asgore's home, Frisk's arms folded around the skeleton's spine.

Frisk returned his wave and felt especially bittersweet. They promised themselves they would be back to visit sometime after school that week and maybe even have a sleepover.

"HUMAN! WATCH AND REVEL IN HOW FAST I CAN TRAVEL ON THIS BICYCLE!"

The child had to admit, it was hard to feel bittersweet when the wind was blowing on one's face as they whipped down the block on Papyrus's ride.

"Go!" the little human exclaimed merrily, moving their face so Papyrus's scarf would stop hitting them in the face.

"BEHOLD! NOW I WILL PEDAL STRAIGHT INTO WHAT I LIKE TO CALL… _MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE!"_

* * *

As soon as they had stepped foot inside of their home, Frisk was enveloped in the aroma of something sweet baking within fire magic. The child inhaled deeply and joined Papyrus in untying their shoes.

"WOWIE! DO I DETECT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES?!"

Frisk hung up their jacket and placed their hat, scarf, and mittens in their cubby with an excited nod. They began to sign animatedly to the skeleton while the pair entered the kitchen. However, before they could even set foot onto the tile they had been swept up into a pair of loving arms and were being nuzzled to the point it was becoming difficult to breathe.

"Greetings, my child!" their mother proclaimed, accomplishing the great feat of covering every inch of Frisk's face in kisses while the human stirred and giggled. Although Toriel was always loving, the amount of affection they were being showered with was almost unusual. The child chalked it up to the events of the previous night being the cause.

"The cookies are nearly done." Toriel set them down and swept their hair out of their eyes with a paw. "Frisk, Sans is not feeling very well. Do you think you can maybe watch and take care of him while I finish up in the kitchen?"

Frisk dipped their head. _'Is he sad?'_

"Oh, no, not today, my child."

 _'Sick?'_

"I am afraid so. He will be better soon though. Maybe even sooner with you visiting him."

Frisk hugged their mother's legs and gave a wave to Papyrus—who had started getting out the ingredients for spaghetti. They peeked their head around the wide doorframe to the living room.

Sans was propped up on the couch and surrounded by pillows and blankets. Frisk took him in, brow furrowing in concern when they noticed the dark shadows beneath his eye sockets and the sweat collecting on his skull and along his brow bone.

His pupils flitted over to Frisk and his expression hardly changed from his signature smile.

"hey squirt," the skeleton said, his usually gravely voice a hoarse croak. Frisk couldn't help but think that it sounded like an old bull frog that had gargled some rocks (they nearly laughed at the thought, but felt horrible for comparing Sans to the image in the state he was in).

 _'Hi, Sans,'_ Frisk signed. The child climbed up onto the couch next to him and pulled their sweater down over their hand to sponge up some of the sweat on his skull.

"yeah, i know." he winked. "i'm a little under the weather, but hey, i'm not lettin' it **rain** on my parade."

Frisk gave him a look.

"what's new with you? **sunny** as always, i see."

Alright, they could laugh at that one. They were about to answer when Sans reached up and grabbed their chin. He examined their face and let out a low whistle between his teeth.

"gotta good **shiner** there, kid. oh, hey, speakin' of which, i…heh…i gotta talk to you 'bout somethin'."

The child nodded their head. They steadied their resolve, ready to talk to him as well. They knew that they would have to tell him about the tears. They would have to ask him if he knew anything about the voice, about the—

"have you seen anything funny lately. i'm not talkin' 'bout 'haha' funny, but something weird, kiddo."

—he had beat them to it.

Hundreds of thoughts began racing through their mind, buzzing like insects in broken fragments and spiraling down into a cluttered mess. The child attempted to stabilize the racing cadence of their heart to no avail. They could feel themselves clamming up and they hated it, they wanted to talk about it, they finally were willing to tell and ask questions because they were in desperate need of sharing the burden on their shoulders for it's weight wouldn't stop growing and growing and smothering and choking them and…

They tightened their hand around Sans' in a vice grip.

"hehheh." Sans blinked. "to the point, i know. you have, haven't cha?"

The little human shuddered, but nodded nevertheless.

"YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY!" Papyrus's voice rang out from the kitchen. "ONE IS LOST WITHOUT THEIR SAUCE! BUT LITTLE DO THEY KNOW, ONE CAN BECOME LOST _IN_ THE SAUCE! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Sans paused. Frisk caught him utter a praise of, "my bro is so cool," and then he continued.

"the rips, kiddo. the tears that are sometimes in the walls and air? have you seen them?"

Frisk felt as if they were going to choke. _'Yes.'_

"i saw it in the police station," Sans murmured. "i've only seen one once before. sometimes only certain people can see them." He shrugged. "other times, they're visible to everyone."

 _'We have to close them,'_ Frisk signed, eyes wide with panic. _'They said that they were working on them, that they had to be closed or bad stuff would happen.'_

"'they?'" Sans repeated.

Even though Frisk did not want to talk about them, they knew they would have to. Chara had sounded so afraid when speaking about the tears and glitches in the Void that Frisk knew they had to help. They had to give Sans all the information they could if they were going to figure out how to stop the tears.

Chara had said it was a fracture in the fabric of time, whatever that meant. They also had said that if you gazed too long at them, they could overtake you.

Frisk had raised their hand and signed out the first letter of Chara's name when they caught sight of a familiar glimmer out of the corner of their eye. Just as they were turning to look, Sans bolted straight up and out of his usual slouch. The child turned their head, almost afraid to move.

It looked like someone had taken a knife and dragged a long gash across the wall. The child's whole body shook when something suddenly moved inside of the gleaming line, something that became whole when the jagged cut pried itself open.

There was a flash of red and something tumbled out of the gap, the slash closing up behind it and leaving the wall as if it had never been there.

Frisk hopped off the couch and they felt Sans grope for their wrist, his fingers brushing against their skin. Against their better judgment, the child stepped toward whatever had fallen out of the tear.

Every inch of it's body was covered in blue, some shade between sapphire and the vast deep of the ocean. It was folded in on itself on the ground in a white heap wrapped up in vermilion hair.

"frisk!" Sans hissed. They heard him struggling to get off the couch behind them, and suddenly, which a speed they hadn't expected, his hand was on their shoulder and they were shoved behind the skeleton while his other rest by his side, glowing ever so slightly.

The human peeked around the monster. The something's head slowly rose, its glasses askew from where they were perched on the bridge of their not-quite-a-nose. Their mouth fell open with a faint groan to reveal a row of dangerous looking teeth.

The something was…Undyne?

"Ugh…" Undyne mumbled. "Where…where am I?"

* * *

 **OKAY I KNOW I SAID THE NEXT UPDATE WOULD BE LONGER AND WOULD TAKE AWHILE BUT I COULDN'T RESIST I POUNDED THIS OUT TODAY WHOOO *smacks head on counter***

 **(note it was actually not today it was 2 days ago but i updated on ao3 first)**

 **(another note i changed the rating to m bc the characters swear more than i thought they would and some characters do a violence)**

 **i imagine there are going to be a lot of questions**

 **I'M READY LET'S GOOOOOOO**

 **-SAV**


	18. Imitation

**Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery**

* * *

"Sans! Frisk!"

The duo stiffened.

"Papyrus and I have to run to the store very quick! I am afraid his current noodles are **impastas** and he requires more."

Frisk held their breath, too afraid to move. Something had just caused a rip through time and space, as they understood, to open in their living room. Something had fallen out of that rip. That something was another Undyne. Frisk had no idea if they were friendly or hostile. The child had been too busy running through hundreds of scenarios where they could talk Undyne down, where they would have to shove Sans back on the couch so he didn't take any spears for them, where maybe she was just as scared and confused as the child felt themselves. For a moment they had completely forgotten Toriel and Papyrus were still home. Papyrus most likely wouldn't recognize that Undyne was not Undyne right away and perhaps complement her on her new glasses. Toriel would be a bit bemused, but would come to realize something was inherently wrong with the stranger in their house (especially when there was a huge chance the stranger, being Undyne, would attack them. And that would lead to _so many_ _questions_ _._ ).

"I THOUGHT THEY WERE PENNE. I WAS WRONG." Papyrus's cringe was audible in his voice.

Sans looked torn. Frisk knew he had the chance to crack so many puns, but they couldn't draw too much attention to themselves. But, if one of them didn't respond, Toriel and Papyrus would be sure to enter the living room to check up on them.

"if you had a **penne** for every time that happened," Sans said, no longer able to resist cracking a joke.

Papyrus made a distraught noise. Toriel bleated.

"Dinner is done, I am just going to leave it in the stove to stay warm," the former queen went on with a chuckle, "feel free to eat when you are ready!"

The time between Toriel's footsteps padding around the kitchen as her and Papyrus donned their coats and the door closing behind them were perhaps some of the longest seconds Frisk had ever experienced in their entire life thus far. The whole time the child stood wishing with all of their might Papyrus would distract Toriel enough that she wouldn't come into the living room to say goodbye, that her kisses and cuddles earlier had been enough for the meantime.

Thankfully, Toriel and Papyrus left before Not-Undyne-But-Totally-Undyne could sit up and take in the room. Frisk and Sans both shared a moment to heave notably huge sighs of relief when the others were gone. Frisk couldn't help but revel in how remarkably lucky they were that Toriel and Papyrus had actually left the house for the time being.

"H-H-Holy…" Undyne(?) trailed off. She sounded just like the Undyne the human knew and loved, but more apprehensive. The child watched as she sat up fully and took in her surroundings in fascination. "T-This isn't m-m-my lab."

Sans' hand flexed and he balled a fist up in the front of Frisk's sweater, making sure to keep his protective stance in front of them. The skeleton pushed the child back further as if shielding them was a reflex and another swell of magic built up around his free hand, causing chills to crawl down Frisk's spine. The child could feel the air around them becoming cooler.

Undyne began studying the curtains on the window before pulling them apart. She let out a squawk and tumbled backwards in disbelief. Then, she crawled back to the window and pressed her face to the glass to closer examine the outside world.

Sans cleared his throat. Undyne gasped and attempted to spin around but ended up toppling gracelessly onto the floor after catching her knees on the lab coat she was wearing. She craned her neck up from where her face was imbedded in the carpet and her cat-like eyes flexed in bewilderment. Once again, she stumbled, this time scooting so her back was against the wall.

"You're not Sans."

"heheh, that's news to me," Sans answered.

"Y-You are!" Undyne articulated. "Maybe! B-But at the s-s-same time, y-you're not."

She jumped to her feet, realization dawning on her face. She spun around to face the wall behind her, the wall she had fallen face first out of, pushed her hair out of her face, and fixed her glasses.

"Oh no."

Frisk tried to step around Sans but he drove them back behind him with his hand even when his knees quaked and the sweat on his skull grew.

"No, no, no, no, _no, no!_ T-This c-can't be happening!" Undyne exclaimed. "I w-was t-trying to _c-cl-cl-close_ it, not g-go _through_ it!"

"uh…you were trying to close it?" Sans questioned.

Undyne's head lifted as if she was just remembering they were still there. Once again she pivoted and took in Sans and Frisk (who had settled for peering their head around Sans' side). She wrung her hands and gave them a nervous smile. Then, she pushed her glasses further up her face with a finger and smoothed out the front of her lab coat.

"I-I'm sorry, this is p-probably all so confusing," she said with an anxious laugh. Then she added quietly, "And t-this is _really_ weirding me out—"

"why don't we start with names?" Sans proposed. "i'm sans, sans the skeleton."

Undyne was stricken, her face contorted with worry. "Y-Y-You…you r-really are Sans then, ar-aren't you?"

"i hope so, i'm wearin' his underwear."

The fish monster tensed and bit her lip. "I t-though maybe y-you were trying to be Papyrus or s-something, with that h-hoodie and all…that." She gestured to his attire and winced when her eyes reached his forehead. Frisk canted their head up to find whatever she was examining, but only found sweat glistening on his cranium. Frisk glanced back to Undyne as she continued with, "Y-You're more…erhm… _wet_ than the Sans I-I know."

Sans only smiled and shrugged. " **water** you mean?"

"Oh dear." The Undyne look-alike itched at her neck. "I-I-I'm a l-long way from home. And maybe n-not even in my o-own home." She suddenly wheezed and grasped at her chest. Her eyes widened. "'T-Trying to be P-P-Papyrus!' O-Oh my god! You're n-not the Magnificent Sans, a-are you?"

"well, i suppose i'm magnificent in my own way. once i slept for three days straight. that's pretty magnificent," Sans said while winking his right eye.

"So…the multiple universe theory…" Undyne began hesitantly, as if more to herself than to Sans, "it's-it's _true_ then. This is a d-different universe than my own?"

Sans stared at her, rooted to the spot. "where did you learn about multiple universes?"

"Oh. T-There's this really cool b-book!" the fish monster gushed. " _A Multidimensional Quarrel: Space's Vendetta Against the Laws of Reality!_ I found it working in the lab one day beneath some old paperwork. I couldn't tell who the author was, it looked like someone smeared it right off the cover. But whoever wrote it was an absolute genius! The idea that the fragile interworking of space could be a series of lattices, parallel to one another, converging, ending, running off into infinity—the very thought alone is insane! Imagine, a series of universes instead of one streamline plane! It's amazing! It's…it's…" Undyne gave an skittish titter, seeming to realize how much she had been talking. She pursed her lips and clammed up after uttering, "…pretty cool. A-And apparently—" her eyes flitted between the two—"very _real_."

The child had no idea what any of that gibberish meant, but for some reason, Sans appeared to be close to hurling—even more so than before. He chuckled anxiously and scratched the back of his head. "heheh. sounds…neat."

For the third time Frisk attempted to greet Undyne. Sans continued to hold them back. Undyne's head perked up and the fins on either side of her head gave a curious flap before laying still. Frisk snuck a wave. The monster gave the child a perplexed look but returned their wave with a webbed hand.

"I-If you d-don't mind me asking, if you're my P-Papyrus in Sans' body, w-who is that supposed to be f-from my universe?"

Sans exchanged a conflicted glance with the human. They gave him a firm nod, slipped their hand into his, and wrapped their left hand around his right to help him relax. The strange and new Undyne didn't seem to be a threat to anyone anymore than the child was.

 _'Hello,'_ Frisk saluted. _'My name is F-r-i-s-k. Who are you?'_

"Oh! S-Sign language?" Undyne inquired. "I saw this on an ani—uh, heehee—h-human…history program? Th-That was 'hi' and a 'f, r, i'…Oh! Y-Your name is Frisk?"

Frisk gave her an encouraging nod and a polite smile. They squeezed Sans' hand and tried to steady their nerves.

"I'm Undyne," the monster introduced shyly. She looked up from her shoes, pulled at the sleeves of her sweater, and worked up the courage to continue. "I-I-I'm the R-Royal Scientist for Queen Toriel." She blushed and gave them a strained smile. "O-Or, rather I was before I was dumped here."

The human signed to ask if Sans needed to sit back down. He was grimacing against the exertion, the strain of standing and readying his magic nearly too much for him. Frisk's hand began to fall from his grasp when the child ventured forward but Sans yanked the child back by their sweater and took their hand more firmly in his grip.

"kid," he warned with his voice suppressed between his teeth, " _don't_."

Alternate universe Undyne, who had held out their hand in offering, returned it to her side with a timid laugh and ran her fingers through her hair. "S-S-So…uhmmm…" She glimpsed about the room like she was searching for a life line, for something to talk about and break the uncomfortable silence (and stare off) between her and the skeleton. "Do you g-guys live here?"

"yup." Sans grinned.

"That's nice," Undyne offered.

Worry flooded through the child as they studied Sans. He was sweating more profusely and his knees were shaking more and more the longer he was standing. Frisk tugged on his fingers and, with pleading eyes, asked with both hands if he would please sit down and, yes, they would stay by his side and _yes,_ Sans _,_ they wouldn't approach the new Undyne without his permission and _yes, Dad, jeez,_ they wouldn't try to befriend them until they knew she wouldn't hurt them (too late, Frisk liked her already).

A faint blush threatened to overtake Sans' cheeks at the child's last sign that had slipped out. They gave him a smile and motioned for him to sit back down on the couch when Undyne's voice cut through the child's signing.

"O-Oh my god! _Oh my god!_ Wait, wait w-w-w-wait! If the t-tear it closed, h-how am I s-s-supposed to get home?!"

Frisk, who had flinched as if they had been struck and covered their ears at her sudden screech, drew in a deep breath and locked their hand around a few of Sans' fingers. Undyne went on, oblivious to the child working to calm themselves after the fright.

"T-T-This is a _disaster!_ W-What a-about my work? W-What a-about Napstabot? Q-Queen Toriel? Alphys?" Her voice quieted into a shocked whisper and her hand flew up to cover her mouth. Her eyes dilated and began to water. _"Alphys._ I'm…I'm…I'm never going to see her again, am I?"

Undyne's lip quivered and she hugged herself. "Hah…I n-never got to tell her…"

Ignoring the racing of their heart they were fighting against, Frisk finally stepped away from Sans without being pulled back to his side. The child walked up to the sniffling monster and tugged at her pant leg.

 _'It's okay,'_ Frisk signed slowly. _'We'll get you home.'_

Undyne gave the child a water smile and wiped at her eyes. "R-Really? I d-don't k-know if th-th-that's possible, but I…I appreciate the thought, I r-really do."

The human, desperately wanting to help Undyne feel better but knowing she had limited knowledge of sign language, pointed to Sans and signed, _'Scientist.'_

"Hm? D-Doctor?"

Frisk shook their head. Once again they pointed to Sans and began to spell out the word to the best of their knowledge. They got so far as 's' before realizing they really didn't know how to spell such a complex word.

"it's s-c-i-e-n-t-i-s-t, kiddo."

"Oh! You're a—wait, you're a _scientist?!"_ Undyne gasped, her mouth widening as her face formed a rather surprised expression. Sans' shoulders bobbed while the child dipped their head encouragingly. They began to sign again and Undyne followed along out loud.

"'L…a…b…? He h-has a lab?"

Undyne and Frisk both turned to looked at Sans in excitement.

"yes?"

Frisk nodded to confirm his answer.

"look, uh…undyne," the skeleton began, "my brother, papyrus, who you…heh…seem to already know and frisk's mom, toriel, will be back soon—"

"R-Right," Undyne interjected, "Tor—wait, did y-you say _Toriel?_ As in _Queen_ Toriel?"

"not the queen anymore here," Sans answered simply. "she hung up the crown a long time ago. but, until we figure out what we're gonna do and what we're gonna say, you should hide out in there for the time being."

"Y-Y-Yes…" Undyne was unnerved. "Of course."

Sans brushed up against the child and the little human watched as he steadied himself. The skeleton strode forward but made sure to keep a boney hand closed tight around Frisk's wrist.

Sans and Frisk lead the way down the hallway to where the basement door waited on the left. The skeleton withdrew his phone from his pocket and slid a key that was attached to the chain into the lock, opening the door with a soft _click._

"Uhm…" Undyne cleared her throat and Frisk swiveled to face her. "I-If you d-d-d-don't mind me asking, d-do y-y-you know if…erhm…anyone w-will come down here?"

"the **key** is that i know no one comes down here but me," Sans said. "sometimes the kid, but only if i'm down there." He flicked on the light and offered for Undyne to head down first. The scientist gulped and took the lead.

Watching Sans pant and clutch the railing while he struggled down the stairs made Frisk feel just as sick as Sans looked. They inquired if he was alright, but he waved them off. Their stomach churned as the trio descended. Frisk had been in the lab more times than they could count, but the walk down was always the worst. It was difficult to climb down into the darkness. All they could think about was the gloom of their childhood room, paler skin than they thought their excess of melanin would allow, and rough hands shoving them into locked doors and boarded up windows. The child clung to Sans out of habit but remembered he was unwell and didn't need their weight holding him down.

To their surprise, Sans ignored the profuse sweat dripping from his brow and wrapped an arm around the child. When they reached the bottom of the steps, the one of the monsters flicked the basement light on. Frisk had been too busy holding their face against Sans' t-shirt to look.

The first time Frisk entered Sans' lab on the Surface, they weren't sure what to expect. Underground, they had entered the lab in his old home not knowing it was a lab. The child thought maybe that this one would be like the other with smooth tile floors, maybe even sterile white walls and a matching lab coat. Even though it was extremely silly to think it after seeing the state of his old bedroom, they thought maybe everything would be pristine.

They were wrong.

Papers were scattered across one workbench and the other was littered with machinery and scrap metal the skeleton tinkered with in his free time. There was a chalkboard by a closet on the right wall in the small room full of equations that were erased and rewritten as Sans worked. In the far corner there was a familiar shape—a machine of some kind, Frisk was told—covered by a sheet. The only touch of home rested on a shelf just above the tabletop of the workbench: some framed photographs (one of Sans and his brother, Frisk's school picture, one of Toriel and Frisk examining a large butterfly they had caught in the backyard, and a picture of all of Frisk's closest friends and family crammed into a photograph), a rubix cube with x's, o's, and triangles, Frisk's 2nd place science fair ribbon, an acorn, and two drawings (one done in crayon of a skeleton in blue and a human child, the other a poorly drawn picture of three smiling people with the words "Don't Forget" underneath them).

Frisk had spent many hours down in the lab with the skeleton, bringing him food when he forgot to eat dinner, a blanket when he fell asleep before he was able to read them a story at bedtime, or company whether he needed it or not. Whenever the little human would venture downstairs (after taking the steps two at a time in fear), Sans would let them sit in the chair that spun or unrolled one of the mats in the closet so they could lay down and draw or play or even attempted to teach them what he was doing when the child asked.

They remembered when they found Sans tense and afraid downstairs during one of his first thunderstorms on the Surface. He had been sitting in the chair that didn't roll and spin, fingers locked on the base of the chair and jaw set in fear.

 _'Sans? What's wrong?'_

 _The skeleton tried to respond, but jumped and winced when there was a particularly loud crash of thunder above. Frisk had winced and readjusted their blanket tighter around themselves._

 _'_ _It's okay! It's just thunder!'_

 _"_ _we didn't have thunder in the underground, kiddo," Sans replied with a strained chuckle._

 _'_ _I'm scared of it too, that's why I_ _ **bolted**_ _down here.'_

 _Sans snorted._

 _'_ _I know it can't hurt me so it makes me feel better,' the child went on, placing their hand over his and giving him a kind smile. 'I wouldn't let it hurt you anyway.'_

Sans' lab wasn't anything spectacular, but the child knew it was a second home inside of their home.

"Sans! My child! We are home!"

Frisk and Sans exchanged a look when Toriel's voice rang from upstairs. It was impossible for Undyne to pale, but she appeared to be ill at the sound of Toriel's return home.

"wait down here," Sans instructed. "don't know how long it will be, but the kid and i will be back later this evening."

"My child? Sans?"

"comin', t!" Sans called hoarsely up the stairs. He glanced back at Undyne and surveyed her quickly. "not a **blub** outta you, got it?"

Undyne swallowed hard but nodded nonetheless.

"c'mon, kid. **bone** appetite."

Together the skeleton and the human ascended the stairs, Frisk taking a moment to peek back at Undyne, who, lost and at a loss of words, began to examine Sans' work on the chalkboard.

* * *

Besides Frisk's anxious squirms of unease that was hardly noticed outside of Papyrus's constant fidgeting (something had gone astray while making his world famous pasta and that pesky white stray that hung around the yard indubitably had something to do with it), Sans supposed dinner went smoothly. It was mostly silent if one didn't count Papyrus's cross grumbling and the clinking of silverware on plates. The human hardly touched their food, instead choosing to push it around on their plate with a fork instead of enthusiastically shoveling it into their mouth like they normally did when it came to Toriel's cooking. The ex-queen spent a good portion of the dinner softly encouraging her child to eat and that they were loved and everything was alright. After that, Sans noticed that Frisk spent the rest of their meal close to tears.

"frisk, you should really eat somethin'," Sans muttered while Toriel got up to put her dishes away.

Frisk's lip trembled.

"heya, now," the skeleton said, attempting to calm the child's apprehension. "c'mon, kid, chin up. i'm rootin' for ya, remember?"

Frisk nodded. They looked up from their plate and gave Sans a long look. There was something haunting behind the brown of their eyes, something that unnerved the monster and chilled him straight down to the (heheh) _bone_.

"maybe you can share your plate with undyne?"

He figured changing the subject might help. He hid his concern behind a cough and a smile, relieved when the little human gave him a small, watery smile at his offer.

"Are you feeling any better, Sans?" Toriel had snuck up behind him. She was surprisingly quiet for her size.

"huh?" For some reason it took more than a few seconds to unscramble her sentence. His neck craned around to look at her until she moved to the side of his chair. "wha-oh, yeah. just a cough. **ill** be fine."

"I am glad to hear," Toriel said with a giggle. "I was worried you would be like that man I read about in the paper."

"hm?"

"You know, the man who was so sick he lost an arm and a leg. But, do not worry, he is al **right** now."

Sans burst into laughter which turned into a fit of coughs. He sniffled and held his head, wincing slightly when it gave a testy pound. Toriel planted a peck on the top of his cranium. He couldn't say it alleviated the pain any, but it made him feel better.

When Toriel scooped up the dishes and Papyrus had leapt out of his seat to help her, Sans finally cast a glance back over at Frisk only to find their chair empty. His SOUL sputtered and a spasm of nerves coursed through his bones.

"IS SOMETHING THE MATTER, SANS?"

The skeleton peered up to find his brother looking at him expectantly. The shorter of the two reeled his magic back into his SOUL, noting to be more careful when it came to fluctuations in magic in the future when his brother was so close. Papyrus always had a knack for attuning his SOUL to others.

All Sans could suddenly think of was bends in time, the weight on his shoulders of an anomaly hiding in his lab, what that anomaly could be doing to Frisk without him there to protect them, and distorted laughter that followed the hypnotizing glimmer of silver.

"nothin', bro." His teeth ground in his smile.

* * *

When he thought Toriel and Papyrus wouldn't notice, the Sans snuck out of the kitchen (not before snatching a pair of Toriel's chocolate chip cookies off of the cooling rack) and made his way down to his lab. If the kid was going to be anywhere, it was going to be there. He knew Frisk too well. Unfortunately, the kid's curiosity got the best of them. Pair that with their too big of a heart and Sans had a dangerous combination to deal with.

Although the pain and weakness within his skeletal structure was starting to subside and the queasiness was melting away the further time skipped along, that didn't mean he was on his A-game ( _and let's face it,_ he thought, _when am i ever_ ).

He didn't want to think about the times when the world itself depended on him being on his A-game. Even that was never enough.

So, really, why give it his all?

Sans' mind raced to Papyrus, to Tori, to the— _his_ kid. _His_ family. He sighed and his patellas gave an uneasy tremble. The monster gripped the railing as he shut the door behind him and descended down the stairs to his lab.

"W-W-Wait! Wait, wait, wait! S-So, in this world… _that's me?!"_

Oh for _fuck's_ _sake_.

The kid was just where he expected they would be: in the lab with the anomaly without him. But, what he hadn't expected was to find Frisk plopped in other world Undyne's lap with their phone out while other world Undyne devoured Frisk's dinner, the child snuggled up to the monster as if they were already best pals and hadn't only met literally forty-five minutes ago.

Sans couldn't say he was surprised. He was really going to need to have a talk with the kiddo about stranger danger…again.

"Holy crap! I-I-I look so…so strong! I h-have an eyepatch? Wow! I'm amazing!"

Frisk tapped on the screen of their phone and then smiled, swiping to to the left. The human canted their head to shoot their beam up toward Undyne just in time to watch her choke on Toriel's cooking. Monster food was impossible to choke on. Sans noted that this Undyne reached a whole new level of awkward and social ineptness.

After she had calmed down from her spluttering and coughing, Undyne squeaked, "Is that A-Alphys and I k-k-k—" her voice lowered to a whisper— "kissing?"

Frisk nodded. Sans knew the child was still very proud of their accomplishment of getting Alphys and Undyne to finally admit their feelings for one another.

The human laid their hand flat with their palm facing their torso and brushed upward twice on their chest with a kind smile.

 _'Happy.'_

Sans was torn between interrupting the moment or creeping back up the stairs. The other world Undyne didn't seem like a threat. If anything, she seemed like an exact replica of Alphys.

Before he had a chance to decide, the child spotted him on the stairs and announced his presence for him with a finger flapping wave. Undyne's eyes shot up from the picture she had been admiring and her eyes widened in alarm.

"Oh! H-Hey!" She gave a jittery titter and jumped to her feet, Frisk sliding off of her lap and onto the floor. They rubbed their tailbone and furrowed their brow. Undyne ignored them and chose to instead brush off her lab coat and curl her hands up in the sleeves of her sweater. The monster then sidestepped away from Frisk, obviously cautious of being around the child now that the skeleton was in the room. "Did-did-didn't s-see you there."

Sans finished climbing down the stairs and surveyed his lab. It was still in one piece, his stuff hadn't been touched, and there was a new drawing taped on the wall that Sans knew Frisk wouldn't have been able to hang up without help. His chalkboard—

A burst of magic left his SOUL and launched through his ribs which caused his spinal column to turn into a rod of ice. He felt his pupils flicker away to leave only empty eye sockets. He remembered calculations being on that chalkboard, meticulous, lifelong calculations that had taken hours to write and years worth of work to out, not someone else's hasty, looping scrawl and a picture of a dog sleeping in a bed of flowers drawn in the corner by little hands.

"what. is that."

"O-O-Oh! Yes!" Undyne chirped. "I-I-I was thinking and I h-had to wr-write it down bec-because I think I m-might have a place to start w-with getting me home! I hope you d-don't mind, I used the side th—"

Sans kept his expression calm even though he couldn't begin to think about blinking his pupils back into their perspective sockets when all he could feel were his inner screams ricocheting off the insides of his skull.

"it's fine," he uttered with each word causing him great pain, "it wasn't like some of those calculations had helped me prove my hypothesis of self-sustained teleportation and were potentially going to be used to keep timelines from collapsing in on one another once I had finished calibrating my machine with the calculations on the left side of the board. it's not like fifteen years of extensive research have been slam dunked down the drain now that the board's been wiped off. it's whatever."

He didn't care if the temperature in the room was dropping. He wanted to flop face first on the ground like the piece of garbage he felt like he had become.

Frisk placed a hand on the side of the chalkboard and gave it a push. The board flipped to reveal his work untouched on the chalkboard on the other side. And, with that push, the heavens opened and a choir of angels began singing as he was basked in light, it took every ounce of control not to run to the child and hug them to death, he knew they would never betray him by allowing Undyne to erase his work and then scribble there own doodles over it to mock him—

Sans reigned in the flood of thoughts and pasted on a grin. Frisk pointed to fingers up at their eyes and moved them away, pointed their finger away from themselves, made the letter 'i' with their hand, and the letter's 'o' and 'k'.

Frisk wrapped their arms around his waist and he ruffled their hair. Sans then nodded, giving Undyne the go-ahead. "continue?"

"Oh! Yes!" Undyne cleared her throat and flipped the board over to reveal her work. "O-Okay! I don't have an-any theories on h-how to get back, b-but! But! I mi-mi-might have a starting point. B-Basing my w-work here off of th-the work in my lab and the m-m-mul-multi-universe theory, i-is that…is that…"

Frisk gave the monster and encouraging nod. She had paused to bashfully pull at her sweater, eyes downcast, but Sans watched as she forced herself to meet the child's gaze and gave them a firm nod.

"So, according to _A Multidimensional Quarrel_ —" Sans gritted his teeth at the name of the book, the book that had been supposedly wiped off the face of his universe along with the rest of his work and any mention of the person the skeleton once worked with— "we are to think of our universe as a thread running parallel with m-m-many others, threads where anything c-could be exactly the same of vastly different. Sometimes these threads even come from one rope, splitting off into strings and threads so the concept of the universe is same with minute differences. Our universes are on one of these ropes. We share the same worlds and the same people, but the people and world are slightly different. A-According to Frisk…I'm…" she laughed and tucked her a strand of hair back behind the fin on the side of her head. "L-Like your Alphys when I-I'm supposed to be l-like _my_ Alphys.

"Anyway!" The monster waved her hands in order to change the subject. "M-Moving along! Sometimes, these threads c-can-can bend and dip into others, skimming across the surface." Her webbed hands brushed one another and then interlocked to prove her point. "Sure, sometimes they may rub against one another, but they never t-truly make contact. Wh-what I believe is that these dips, these rises and falls and skims across the surface where two universes momentarily intersect i-is what causes a t-tear."

Sans nodded. She was making sense so far.

"How do these tears come about? How can something have so much energy it can push one thread into the other, allowing these worlds, these infinite variations of one another, to actually make contact and create a doorway? A _massive_ amount of energy is needed to cause a tear in time and space. From what I know f-from observations is that tears can disrupt gravity, magnetic fields, one's bodily functions," she rattled off, counting each off on her fingers, "they c-could even swallow you whole! Mentally and/ _or_ physically! I-I'm the per-perfect example of that." Her face contorted in worry. "I-If s-something as b-big as _me_ can fall t-through one of those, who knows what else could!"

Frisk, who had slipped their hand into his, stiffened in his grasp. The skeleton looked down just in time to watch the child's face blanch. Their eyes were in a faraway place.

"somethin' eatin' ya, kiddo?" Sans asked quietly, his usual pokerface plastered on. Something frigid wormed it's way through him.

"I thought I could harness one to send us to the Surface!" Undyne went on, oblivious to Frisk's sudden dismay. "But…But r-real s-scary stuff c-comes from those rips. You either see it in your mind or…or on the other side. That's h-how I found you g-guys. I thought you were my Sans and I st-stepped cl-closer for a look and, fuhuh…huh…h-here I am."

"you could just go back the way you came in," Sans said with a shrug.

"A-Are you su-suggesting I just _h-h-hop_ into the next tear and hope for the best?" Undyne stammered angrily, hostility causing her chest to put up and piranha teeth to bare. "That's idiotic! What if I get sent back to the wrong universe?!"

"you could always look through to make sure it's yours," Sans suggested with a shit-eating grin and a shrug.

"What? Just peer through a _rip in the fabric of time and space?!"_

"that's what you did."

"Wh-what if it's a window in-instead of a door? Sure, Sans, let me just run into a tear and let you get a good laugh when I bounce off of it!"

"sounds like a **pane**." Sans winked.

"A-Are you serious?! All i-in f-favor of Undyne jumping th-through the next tear, say 'I!'"

Undyne quieted suddenly and her mouth formed a thin line. Her cat-like eyes darted about the room and she turned around to look at her math. Just as she began muttering to herself, Frisk took a shallow breath. They blinked rapidly and their hand fell from his. It reached up to their chest as if the human meant to push their hand through their torso as their breathing became more rapid.

"kid?"

The little human stopped in mid breath, their next inhale caught in their throat. Their fingers spread apart and they dragged their fingers down their cheeks. The skeleton reached for them but stopped when he caught the color of the child's eyes.

— _silver and dust, so much dust he was surprised the thing hadn't suffocated by now, and scarlet, the type of scarlet that caused skin to peel itself off of bones—_

Sans could do nothing but remain motionless as the child's hand spasmed and fingers flexed into claws. Their neck cracked as their head craned up to look at the sky. Their eyes rolled back into their head.

Their body shook. Sans reached a hand out, almost too afraid to even dare. Before his hand could even touch with their shoulder, the child flinched as if they had been hit. They blinked hard and when they looked to Sans again he found familiar brown staring back, wide and terrified and full of tears.

Frisk threw themselves into his arms and he happily embraced them, scooping them up and pressing a hand to their back as the human nuzzled their face into his shoulders, trying to steady their heaving breaths as their little body gasped for air.

"C-Ca-Can't find them," Frisk puffed out into his shirt, "Bad place, b-bad place, _bad place_ —"

"Alright, I'll do it," Undyne announced suddenly, spinning around to take in the pair. "I'll—hey, wh-what's…?"

Although every bone in his body protested and the nausea hit him again like a tidal wave, Sans continued to hold the child close.

"kiddo's bedtime," Sans assured. "just a bit tired."

"Okay," Undyne accepted. "I'll…uh…heh…I'll just c-crash down here then."

"Yeah," Sans said with a nod as he swallowed the lump in his figurative throat. He started up the stairs without even bothering to worry about Undyne being left to her own devices in his lab. He had far bigger **fish** to fry.

— _silver and dust, so much dust he was surprised the thing hadn't suffocated by now, and scarlet, the type of scarlet that caused skin to peel itself off of bones, the type of scarlet that sliced through loved ones and shrieked in the night. the type of scarlet threatened to take his kid away._

* * *

 **Just as I answer questions, I create more.**

 **yippie**

 **-savvy**


	19. Upheaval

**This timeline is out of control.**

"We need to take this next step. We do this, and we're one step closer to figurin' out how to get the monsters shoved back Underground. The kid freed them, they'll know how to put them back."

"I'm with you, but we need to avoid bias."

 **It is growing, transforming, becoming its own entity.**

A low growl. "Whaddya mean, 'bias?'"

The other rubbed their temples. "I'm just saying, there is no need to be brash. We'll get them put back where they belong, but we're taking a big step here. We already got stopped raiding that neighborhood, it was only supposed to be a scare tactic, but—"

A roar of indignation. "We shoudda wiped that cesspool off the map!"

 **It is hanging from a thread. One snip…and bye-bye.**

"We are not goin' back on the plan. We had a deal. You ready the machine, I get the kid and bring 'em in. When you're done with 'em, they're mine. Even before you're done with 'em, _they're mine_."

"Right." They pushed their glasses up their nose and appraised their companion cooly. "And you are sure of what they can do?"

"Ha! I've seen 'em do it before. If what you're sayin' is true, that's SOUL power, alright. And that kid's got plenty of it."

 **They're so petty. As if any of this matters.**

 ***Why do they want Frisk?**

 **They believe Frisk is the key to reestablishing the barrier. Foolish. However, they are not wrong. Our partner can be extremely powerful at the most convenient times. They just don't know what they're fully capable of. The ability to RESET, to SAVE, to ACT, to SPARE, to FIGHT...humans are not able to perform such feats. Exception: Frisk.**

 **None of this matters, anyway. We have to return to the loop.**

 ***So the endgame is purging this timeline and moving onto the next?**

 **Correct.**

 ***Ha! Good luck with that! Frisk's the only one with that ability, they're the one in control of the timeline. Only they can trigger a RESET.**

 **Hahahaha…your mind is so narrow. You need to broaden your horizons.**

 ***And you need to get out more.**

 **The only thing keeping Frisk in control of this timeline and the ability to RESET is their own determination. And they're growing tired.**

 ***…**

 **One little push, one sign of weakness, and my determination will easily outweigh their own. Then, the real fun can begin. Do you not remember our ability to ERASE?**

"So, we gonna do this or what?"

 **Heh heh heh…I can feel you, Frisk. I know you are here.**

 _—!_

 ***What are you doing?! Get the hell out of here, Frisk!**

 **Don't you know this is a private conversation? Gee, someone should really teach you some manners. The both of you.**

 ***You can't do anything. Frisk isn't yours to control.**

 **In time. :)**

"Give me a week."

"Deal."

* * *

 _—silver and dust, so much dust they were surprised they hadn't suffocated by now (but how could they suffocate if they were already drowning?), and scarlet, the type of scarlet that caused skin to peel itself off of bones (their bones, our bones, the kind of agonizing heat of sticking their hand in an open flame, that kind of burning, blistering heat whenever they tried to grab control but control kept slipping through their fingers as hot ash so why bother)—_

They clung to Sans and rubbed their face against his clavicle. For an instant they considered grinding away the sins they felt sneaking up their back, sins they had never and would never commit in their timeline.

Eventually, they skeleton calmed the child down enough to get them to communicate with him with trembling hands. The human tried their best to sign as clearly as possible. They hoped it would be enough.

 _'They're in a bad place. I can feel it in my chest. It's dark. It hurts.'_

 _'It's C-h-a-r-a but it's not C-h-a-r-a.'_

 _'I met them when I fell into the Underground. They helped me. They were my friend.'_

 _'Not them. Not me. Not sure who started it.'_

 _'Sometimes it was me. Sometimes it was them. It was always us.'_

 _'When we came to the Surface they went to sleep. Couldn't hear them anymore. They said they could finally rest.'_

 _'They woke up when the bad place woke up.'_

 _'They told me about the tears. They said they were bad. They were trying to fix them with someone else.'_

 _'No. Don't know the name.'_

 _'Can't tell Toriel or Asgore. They made me promise.'_

 _'I know.'_

 _'I forgive them. Always.'_

Asriel was worth forgiving. Chara was worth forgiving.

Were they worth forgiving?

Were they enough?

* * *

It was dark when Sans left. Frisk guessed he wanted to see Papyrus or their mother. In all honestly, they had been pretending to be asleep for his sake.

They couldn't help but wish he wouldn't have squirmed out from underneath the child. If it wasn't for his phalanges scraping at the child's scalp and his murmured explanation of something called the uncertainty principle (Frisk thought maybe it was a coping mechanism for they could recognize the repetitive siphoning through one's thoughts so they didn't fall apart), the child believe they wouldn't have been able to close their eyes. They still felt like they were out of control of their body, like they were watching themselves move and breathe and exist from across the room. The nightlight Sans had plugged in before he had exited the room was the only thing keeping Frisk from being submerged in total darkness—and not just the darkness of the room.

 _"I-If s-something as b-big as me can fall t-through one of those, who knows what else could!"_

 _"—who knows what else could!"_

 _"—what else could!"_

 _"—what else could!"_

Frisk's fingertips kneaded their eyelids. They remembered Undyne's words cutting their calm as if they were taking a knife to the heart. The little human had felt around their insides in search for the prickly ball of resentment that was their companion only to find frigid emptiness.

They had followed the trail of ice into darkness. In turn, they had followed the darkness to an existential nightmare. And the Chara they knew (and loved) was enveloped in it.

What frightened Frisk the most was how _close_ they felt. If they had outstretched their hand they would have grazed the personified gloom and became tangled up in the creature's barbed coils as well. The child drew in a breath and flexed their fingers and toes. They readjusted and attempted to close their eyes and hope studying the back of their eyelids would be enough, but the dullness of the connection between them and Chara they had grown attached to was jarring.

Maybe dullness wasn't the right word when the little human wasn't even sure if it existed anymore. If it did, it wasn't in the way it was meant to be.

Frisk kicked out their legs and sat up in frustration. Their shoulder blades strained against their skin as they folded in on themselves and tried to prod the connection, tried to pull or tug or do _something_ but it kept eluding them. It felt as if they were trying to grasp smoke.

They sucked in more air and heaved a long sigh. The child briefly contemplated getting up and going downstairs to find out what the other Undyne knew about the tears. Maybe together with Sans they could make sense of it. But then the child was struck with petrifying fear. They couldn't do that, they were being ridiculous, they messed everything up and fixing it would only make it worse, all they did was make stuff worse, if only they had convinced Chara to just _come_ with them they companion wouldn't be trapped in a shroud, if only they had been strong enough to overpower and overcome the _real_ reason they were afraid of the dark. It wasn't just Crook (although he was the primary reason and the reason the fear began). The child knew that there were things in the dusk one couldn't talk about, things that were neither solid or fluid, things that slithered out from the void, from where wind whistled and their body was lead and every fiber of their being was made of strands of ice, and the gloom would sink and twist down into their pores.

It was then they weren't sure what actions were theirs or who they even were anymore.

It didn't help that the thought of going out was petrifying. Usually, Frisk relished in the time they could spend outdoors. Now they wanted to cover up and become as small as possible.

They could feel fingers in their hair. They equipped a knit hat and tugged it down over their ears and eyes.

A beat of quiet. They could fell the of pulsation of their heart in their chest and the murmur of voices in the living room.

"I know what happened, you know."

Frisk flinched and pushed their hat up back up so the bedroom was visible. Flowey was studying them from his pot's perch near the window.

"I'm not dumb," he went on. "They certainly weren't quiet about it. Toriel cried and cried and the smiley trash bag broke stuff and his bonehead brother made sure to tell me all about it." He bobbed in their direction. "So. Who did this to you?"

Frisk remained still. They weren't entirely sure what he meant.

"The bruises on your face, dimwit. I can see them, you're not hiding anything."

After a brief hesitation, Frisk shrugged. Their lip trembled.

"Liar."

Frisk's eyes darted up to meet his.

"I've seen that look before. That's how they looked whenever I tried to ask them about the Surface when they thought I wasn't paying attention." Flowey flexed his petals and thought for a moment. "I'm starting to understand why Chara loathed humanity. So, who was it? It's obviously someone you know. Someone close to you. Someone like—" Flowey's twisted smile faltered. "It…it was _him_ , wasn't it? The one you don't talk about?"

Frisk's lack of confirmation was an answer within itself.

"You idiot!" Flowey spat. "Why keep that from them? Why? After everything that's happened? They could help get him! Why won't you tell them?!"

Frisk stared down at their hands. It felt like their skin had been pulled taut against their scalp and there were fists in their hair. The scars on their back were tingling.

Flowey huffed. "I don't get it. I'll never understand you, Frisk."

The child shivered and swiped at their eyes.

"I'll sit next to you if it will stop you from crying. Ugh, I don't want to have to listen to you whine all night."

Frisk got up off of the bed and grabbed Flowey's pot. They carried him across the room back to the bed and set him down on the mattress before curling up underneath the covers and wrapping their arms around the flower's pot. The flower huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Thanks…Asriel…"

The flower tensed as the child's breathing settled and their eyes closed. When he was sure they were sleeping, he drooped and curled in his petals.

"Sure thing, Frisk."

The child's arms drew him in a bit tighter.

* * *

The weekend passed peacefully. Toriel was busy doing administration work at the school, Papyrus spent most of his time over at Undyne's (thanks to Sans' encouragement), and Frisk, Sans, Undyne #2, and Flowey (resentfully) passed the time in Sans' lab.

At first, Flowey had been adamant about not wanting to leave Frisk and Papyrus's room. The flower was in some kind mood and Frisk figured the best thing for him would be to get him out of the bedroom and out and about. Moving through the daily motions usually worked to get the child out of a funk so the human considered it would probably work on the flower as well.

It did in due course.

After much screeching, one-sided arguing, and threats that caused Sans to get involved once Toriel and Papyrus had left, Frisk elected to ignore the fact that Flowey warned he would bite their fingers off and carried him out of the room anyway. Normally, Frisk would let him be if it would make everyone happy. But Frisk couldn't stand to see the way Flowey wilted in his pot when left to his own devices. Even though Flowey snapped and was confident that he couldn't feel remorse or sadness or _anything_ , he was obviously so unhappy that it nearly broke the child's heart.

Finally, Frisk managed to speak to Flowey one on one. With careful persuasion, he finally spilled the beans.

"I can't help it!" Flowey groused. "I'm not supposed to _feel_ anything. I don't feel bad for the things I did, or happy for the countless deaths I caused. I'm supposed to be indifferent about everything. Why do I suddenly care so much? Before you came down, the only thing keeping me so determined were not the feelings I had because I didn't have any, but the memories I possessed. I can't stop thinking about them. They felt so close but now it feels so… _empty_. And… _cold_."

Frisk pointed to themselves and held up two fingers.

"Their birthday was two days ago and it's becoming harder to remember them. I can't stand it. It's never been like this. What's going on? What's happening?"

That was how Flowey met Undyne #2. Sans was not happy about it, he warned Frisk repeatedly that it wasn't a good idea for the two to meet, for the Flower to know about the second Undyne. But, if that wasn't explanation enough, Frisk wasn't sure what they could do to ease the flower. They wanted to do anything possible.

After all, he was their best friend.

It was a bumpy hello. Undyne was apprehensive to see him (apparently "Floweys" made her nervous, whatever that meant), but after being introduced to him, she stared at him for a long minute before her eyes widened and she became extremely jumpy.

Begrudgingly, Sans explained the situation to Flowey at Frisk's request. Flowey was really quiet after that, which Frisk didn't entirely mind. While Sans and Undyne worked, Frisk colored on the floor and made sure to show each picture to the flower. Frisk received an eye roll at their portrait of him and he huffed when Frisk held up another picture of the child and Asriel.

He studied the wall for quite some time after Frisk drew Chara into the picture holding Asriel's hand.

"Why don't you just RESET?" Flowey asked after awhile.

Frisk glimpsed up from their coloring. Sans was busy tinkering with his machine with Undyne, the two of them discussing something was far beyond the child's ability to comprehend. It seemed the more the two of them were together, the bigger their words got and the longer their sentences traveled on.

The human shook their head and bobbed it in the skeleton's direction. "P-Prom-Prom-Promised."

"What about going back to where you last SAVED?"

Once again, Frisk shook their head. They pressed their palm over their heart.

"Why not?" Flowey's smile twisted into a venomous sneer. "I could help you."

Frisk gave the flower a look.

"Fine, fine," Flowey grumbled. "It's not like we know how to stop the tear from opening and her falling through. I guess we'll have to leave it to bonehead on this one."

The Flower flexed his petals. "Hm. You said last night that you felt it too. The coldness."

Frisk gave him a thumbs up.

"Do you…do you think that they're involved?"

Frisk raised their brow in question and made the letter 'c' with their hand.

"Yes, them."

The child swallowed and took a breath. With a nod, they made a motion like they were rapping on a door with their fist.

"Are they alright?"

Frisk's response was a hesitant shrug.

Flowey fell silent. Frisk laid their drawing by the potted plant and grabbed another piece of paper that was in the pile beside them and picked a few crayons out of their box. They began to draw what they remembered they saw the night before, the surrounding darkness where there was nothing and there was everything, the frigid heat, the choking smog of powder and twilight, and the scarlet—so much scarlet and silver and dust that incased one like barbed wire.

They held up the drawing for Flowey to see when they were done. On the paper they had drawn a child in a green sweater, their skin black and smile matching the scarlet of their eyes. Around them the tried to replicate the darkness but had ended up mostly scribbling black, red, and grays around the child. Over the dark they had drawn the laughter, the never ending "hahahas" that seeped into ones skin and turned your brain to mush.

Frisk tapped their finger on the paper.

"O-O-Okay! I've recalibrate the internal engine, I th-think that if we switch up the c-c-circuit board, maybe e-even begin on the an-analog integrated circuits, we could do a t-test run in the next few days!"

Frisk and Flowey looked up from Frisk's drawing, the child slipping it beneath the others and the coloring they had already completely. They watched as Sans emerged from the machine and wiped some grease from his forehead with a rag.

"we should consult my blueprints. got anything else that will help us be able to manipulate the operating system for multidimensional communication and travel?"

"M-Maybe." Undyne fixed her bun and rubbed the back of her neck as she followed Sans to his workbench. "I s-should s-start breaking down the lo-logistics."

"lucky for you, i've got some already going that you could start working off of." Sans reached into a drawer within his bench and pulled out a stack of papers. "it's coding which we'll have to manually input into the machine."

Undyne let out a low whistle. "H-Holy…S-Sans, there are a-at least s-six or seven world's worth of i-i-in-information in here! H-How long ha-have you known about the multi-universe theory?"

Sans waved her query away with a dismissal hand. "heh, it's nothing too spectacular. just the bare- **bones** for what we need so far."

Frisk snerked. Flowey groaned loudly and nearly slammed his face into the edge of his pot. Undyne narrowed her eyes and fought valiantly against smiling. Her teeth straining against the inside of her lips was the only thing that gave her struggle away.

"B-But this w-would have taken years! I o-only dis-discovered the book recently…"

"it's nothing." Sans attention turned to Frisk upon realizing the child was watching the pair of them. The skeleton gave them a wink and said, "whacha drawin', kid?"

Frisk shuffled the papers with a nervous smile. They lifted their hands to sign, _'Not much. Can Undyne go home now?'_

"not yet, kiddo, but we're workin' on it."

"Hello! Anyone home?"

At the sound of Toriel's voice above them, Sans started wiping his hands on a clean rag and began rooting around in his drawers. "stall her, will ya? i'll be up in a minute."

Frisk gathered up their coloring supplies and grabbed Flowey. With a wave goodbye to Undyne, the child rushed up the stairs to meet their mother.

Once in the living room, the child was greeted warmly by Toriel, the monster scooping Frisk up into her arms for a hug and a kiss (and, at Frisk's request, a kiss for Flowey that was received with a cross look at the human). The human followed Toriel into her bedroom after setting Flowey down on a side table for the time being, showing off their drawings of Snowdin, Mettaton who was covered in glitter, and one of Toriel and Sans (which, by her suppressed giggles, Toriel found _extremely_ entertaining) and signing all about their day in with Sans—excluding the parts about Undyne who wasn't their Undyne and the lab in the basement. When asked where Sans was, Frisk assured that he was home, he was just finishing up something in the basement and would be right up.

 _'Can I help you make dinner, Momma?'_

"Of course, my child," Toriel assured, running a paw over Frisk's head as she finished putting away her school stuff. "Sorry I returned home so late. How does breakfast for dinner sound? I was going to make stew and rice, but I think I will reserve that for tomorrow's dinner."

The human gave Toriel a happy thumbs up.

"After that, I thought perhaps we could have some cocoa in the living room for a treat afterward."

Frisk's hands flapped in excitement and their feet drummed on the carpet as they gave their mother a wide beam.

Hand in hand, Toriel and Frisk headed to the living room to grab Flowey and then to the kitchen in order to begin preparing dinner. Frisk got their stool out from the closet and together, they got out the supplies to whip up a batch of eggs, pancakes, and bacon. From their stool the little human did their best to follow Toriel's instructions on using a whisk and how to level off a measuring cup, the pair giggling when Frisk ended up getting more flour on themselves than in the bowl or when Toriel accidentally got her paws covered in sticky yolk when attempting to instruct Frisk on how to properly crack an egg.

Sans popped out of thin air and into the kitchen when Toriel's back was turn, effectively startling Frisk and causing them to nearly dump out the contents of the bowl they were stirring. Sans caught the bowl easily and floated it back up to the counter with a lazy flick of his finger.

"oops. looks like i left you a bit **scrambled** there, kiddo."

Toriel laughed and the two began exchanging breakfast jokes of the same caliber. Instead of objecting verbally, Flowey chose to hit his head against the wall. When Frisk pushed him out of head banging reach, he curled in on himself and muttered irritably.

Just when Frisk was dolloping batter onto a pan for their mother to cook, Papyrus burst into the kitchen, merrily removing his jacket and hat in order to lend a helping hand with his "CULINARY EXPERTISE!" and berating Sans for leaning idly in a chair instead of helping. Somehow, he convinced Sans to help set the table, but the taller of the two nearly did it himself out of exasperation when his brother only set it a plate and fork at a time.

"BROTHER, CAN YOU SET THE TABLE?"

"i can."

A beat.

"THEN WHY AREN'T YOU?"

"you only asked if i could. i can."

"WILL YOU SET THE TABLE?"

"sure."

"CAN YOU SET THE TABLE NOW?"

"i could."

"SANS, SET THE TABLE THIS INSTANT!"

"ok."

"START WITH SETTING THE PLATES, YOU LAZY BONES!"

"ok."

"SANS, WHY AREN'T YOU SETTING THE REST OF THE TABLE?!"

"you only said to do the plates, bro."

"GET OUT THE FORKS TOO, YOU WORK SHY SLOTH!"

"ok."

"SANS! SET THEM ON THE TABLE!"

"ok."

"AND STOP BOONDOGGLING!"

"ok."

"WHY DID YOU STOP SETTING THE TABLE?!"

"you told me to stop boondoggling, bro."

An infuriated screech.

"Sans, stop leading your brother on."

"YES! THANK YOU!"

"You are only **setting** him up for disappointment."

"OH MY GOD? I HATE THIS?"

Miraculously, everything was cooked, the table was set, and the family of four sat down to eat. As usual, Papyrus made sure to keep everyone engaged in conversation. The skeleton avidly described his day in intricate detail talking about his cooking and piano lessons with Undyne and how he could now play the chorus of a song called chopsticks while Undyne did the "OVERLY COMPLICATED HANDWORK. HER FINGERS NOW HAVE EIGHT PACKS!"

Frisk listened happily and added to the conversation when they felt necessary. But they found themselves drawing further away from the discussion as it continued on. The more they ate, the feeling that there was something wrong grew. Flowey was the first to notice, the flower staring at Frisk between the bites of pancake and eggs the human was feeding him.

A foreign sensation took place in their gums. It felt like something was lowering down from inside of their mouth and when they touched their tongue to their front teeth to try to figure out if they could feel it, there was a small pop followed by a metallic taste and something…hard.

The human covered their mouth, scrunched up their nose, and spat out whatever was on their tongue into their palm. The child looked down to see a few specks of blood in their hand and one of their front teeth in their hand. Curiously, they felt the spot in their gum where the tooth used to sit. Some of the kids in Frisk's class had already lost some of their baby teeth. Last time Frisk saw Amelia, she had lost both of her front teeth and two of her bottom teeth were growing back in. If Amelia and the other kids were okay after loosing theirs, Frisk supposed they would be too.

"what's up, squirt?"

Frisk looked up from their tooth only to find everyone watching them. The child bared their teeth and held out their hand for everyone to see.

They weren't expecting Papyrus to scream at the top of his lungs and to fall backward out of his chair or for Sans to do a double take and stare at the human like they had grown a second head.

"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD! SANS!" Papyrus yelled while clambering around on the ground and fighting to get back to his feet. He began running around the room with his hands in the air.

"OH MY GOD SANS THE HUMAN IS BROKEN WHAT DO WE DO ARE THEY DYING SANS OH MY GOD FRISK EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE FINE I PROMISE WE'LL GET THROUGH THIS MAYBE WE CAN PUT IT BACK IN—" Papyrus shouted.

"whoa whoa whoa, kid, it's g-gonna be alright, stay calm, stay calm—" Sans said simultaneously.

Toriel could only bleat with laughter. "They will be fine!" She tried to assure over the yelling.

Papyrus grabbed Frisk, tilted their head back, and forced open their mouth.

"QUICK SANS, SHOVE IT BACK IN!"

Frisk tried to protest but all that came out was garbled noises. They squirmed in their seat and their eyes widened in alarm.

"HUMAN! STOP FIGHTING! WE'RE TRYING TO SAVE YOUR LIFE!"

"i don't wanna touch it, bro," Sans interjected as he goggled at the tooth in Frisk's hand nauseously.

"WE DON'T HAVE TIME, THEY'RE _DYING_ OH MY _GOD_ SANS—"

Sans grimaced, picked up the tooth with two fingers, and steeled himself for the task.

"Aghrrgguhh!"

"o-ok, frisk, hold still, it'll be over in a sec—"

"Papyrus! Sans!" Toriel exclaimed, raising her voice over the chaos. "Frisk is going to be fine. It is perfectly normal for humans to lose their baby teeth at this age." She rounded the table and planted a kiss on Frisk's head. "Oh, my child, you are growing up so fast!"

"so…all of their teeth are going to fall out?" Sans questioned in quiet horror. His pupils had disappeared from his sockets and his cheeks were tinged blue.

"WILL WE HAVE TO BLEND THEIR FOOD FOR THEM? WILL THE HUMAN BE TRAPPED IN A LIFE WHERE MY DELICIOUS CULINARY ARTS CAN ONLY BE CONSUMED THROUGH A STRAW?

"Well," Toriel began carefully, "eventually, yes. However, others will simply grow back in to replace the teeth they have lost."

At her words, Papyrus took one last look at Frisk's slightly bloody socket, swayed, and fainted. Sans set the tooth down on the table and laughed nervously. He appeared to not even have the strength to wipe the sweat off his brow.

"Perhaps now is the perfect time for hot chocolate."

* * *

Frisk wondered if the others could feel how happy they were squished in between the three monsters under their dinosaur covered quilt and holding a mug of the world's best hot cocoa. They felt like they had to be radiating glee as they leaned into their mother and took a sip of their drink, slurping up a few marshmallows as they did so. The only thing that could have made it better was Flowey in their lap, but the plant preferred his seat on a nearby side table.

"BEFORE WE START OUR MOVIE, DO YOU MIND IF WE TUNE INTO THE CHANNEL OF THE NEWS? I WOULD LIKE TO CHECK THE WEATHER FOR TOMORROW MORNING! AS YOU KNOW, I LIKE TO BE AS PREPARED AS I AM GREAT!" Papyrus requested, snagging the remote from the coffee table.

"Of course," Toriel allowed with a smile. "My child, why don't you pick out a movie while Papyrus checks the report?"

Frisk beamed and wriggled out from under the quilt. They stooped down at the base of the entertainment center and started rooting around through their movie collection while Papyrus clicked on the news.

Frisk's head shot up as they were started by screams on the TV.

 _"A riot has broken out in the nearby village of Caelfall. Although the source of the disturbance is not yet known, neighborhoods are hereby on a mandatory lockdown. Both humans and monsters should remain indoors until the unrest is quelled."_

On the screen, the Ebott 9/10 news was displaying an overhead view of the center of a town square. Bystanders (both humans and monsters alike) were running through the streets, both parties seeking cover while humans in were bashing in windows, throwing possessions into the streets, and setting them ablaze. In the background riot police just hitting the scene, shields up as they fought to push through crowds of violently protesting humans and shield monsters from the demonstrators' reach.

"Oh my—" Toriel gasped.

"WHAT ARE THOSE HUMANS DOING? ARE THEY THE SAME ONES FROM A FEW NIGHTS AGO?"

 _"It is believed the uproar is due to the events that took place earlier this afternoon when a monster struck out at what could potentially be long term human harassers. With the recent attempted repeal of some of the anti-monster acts that have been put in place, things have been uneasy in Caelfall and it seems they are finally coming to a head."_

A group of humans had dragged a struggling monster from a shop and into the street. One of the humans unsheathed a knife and—

Frisk's eyes widened with dread. Toriel let out a strangled noise and Papyrus's breath whistled through his teeth.

 _—silver and dust, so much dust they were surprised they hadn't suffocated by now (but how could they suffocate if they were already drowning?), and scarlet, the type of scarlet that caused skin to peel itself off of bones (their bones, our bones, the kind of agonizing heat of sticking their hand in an open flame, that kind of burning, blistering heat whenever they tried to grab control but control kept slipping through their fingers as hot ash so why bother)—_

The human struck the insect monster and they dissolved into dust.

Before the news report could switch back to the horrified news reporters, behind the murder scene a human in black darted across the screen, quickly spray painting an odd symbol onto the building the insect monster had been hauled out of (it looked like the letter 'S' with a small dome over the top of it and a diagonal slice through the middle of the letter).

"frisk."

The little child turned around slowly, Sans' voice pervading the trance the human felt trapped in. They had felt broken on the inside, their extremities numb. There were tears on their cheeks they didn't remember falling.

 _'I don't understand,'_ Frisk signed shakily at their family. _'I don't…understand.'_

"I think," Toriel said, getting to her feet and straightening her back, "it is time for bed. You have school in the morning, my child."

 _'O…O…K…'_

As Frisk was lead to the bathroom to brush their teeth, all they could see was the symbol. All they could see was the person in black who darted across the screen, unfazed by the terrible things happening around them.

Frisk wondered if the person was their father. Frisk wondered how many other monsters

would be killed at the hands of humans during the riot before the monsters finally fought back.

Frisk wondered how long it would take for history to repeat itself.

Later that night it did.

Over.

And over.

And over.

And over.

(Until bone hands made it stop.)

* * *

Toriel, Papyrus, and Sans didn't end up going to bed for several more hours. Between Toriel's countless phone calls, Papyrus attending to worried monsters who appeared on their doorstep, and Sans slouched over the kitchen table, the skeleton knew there wouldn't be room for much sleep that night.

When he wasn't helping Papyrus keep guests in the living room, sitting and trying to do as little as possible, and speaking with Alphys on his cellphone, Sans found time to calm Frisk down when they woke up crying.

Later when things finally calmed down, Sans made sure he was the last one awake. He insisted that Toriel needed to try and get some sleep and that he would wait by the phone if anyone called. He promised to his brother that he would wake him up if more monsters showed up seeking comfort.

He found himself sorting through Frisk's drawings absentmindedly on the kitchen table. He pocketed one of the kid, a two children in green sweaters.

His hand froze over one of a child shrouded in darkness, "HA-HA's" covering nearly every inch of the page. He slipped that one into his jacket as well and, with a long sigh, headed down stairs.

He figured someone would have to fill in their guest on what all the commotion had been about. Besides...

There was always work to do.

* * *

 **HI EVERYONE I'M ALIVE**

 **actually, i'm more like this after the events of the month have left me like the scene from dash from the incredibles where their jet crashes in the water, "WE'RE DEAD! WE'RE DEAD! WE SURVIVED BUT WE'RE DEAD!"**

 **I'm going to go back on this evening and make do a double check on grammar, spelling errors, and such. I just wanted to get this up and posted before I went to class and started proofreading my boyfriend's essay so you all could enjoy for the time being.**

 **the next chapter should come sooner since i already have a chunk of it written but who the fuck knows what cooleg is going to throw at me in the next few weeks. I shouldn't have any exams until the beginning of Nov. so hopefully I can bust this out in the next week. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯**

 **love always,**

 **sav**


End file.
